Geestmerambacht - tour of Zomerdel

A beautiful walk around the Zomerdel (swimming lake) in the versatile Geestmerambacht recreation area.

West of the swimming lake you pass two viewpoints (shortly after junction 64 and shortly before hiking junction 58), from which you look out over the Zomerdel and over the (not accessible) Kleimeer nature reserve (west of the swimming lake).

Clay Lake

Contrary to what the name suggests, Kleimeer is not a lake at all. It once was, but in 1567 this lake, located in North Holland just above Alkmaar, was emptied by mills. The agricultural land that was created here has now made way for nature and many birds.

In summer you can see marsh harriers here in search of food for their young. Other breeding birds of the Kleimeer include reed bunting, bearded man, water rail and mustache. And in winter, when the land is barren, the bittern sometimes shows up in the early morning. But more often he can be heard alone: his dull whooping sound is more like a cross between a steamboat and the lowing of a cow in the distance.

About the Kleimeer nature reserve: https://www.staatsbosbeheer.nl/uit-in-de-natuur/locations/kleimeer

About the Geestmerambacht recreation area: https://www.geestmerambacht.nl/

You can shorten the walk by approximately 1.5 km by skipping the loop in the northwest (around Het Lamslik). In that case, go directly from junction 64 to junction 57 (in which case junctions 60-55-56 will be omitted)