Tour around the Rottige Meente

This route takes you through the Weerribben and along the Rottige Meente. Besides the fact that these two nature reserves were created by peat extraction, they share another important feature: it is wonderfully quiet.

Rotty Meente
You cycle for a while along the Linde, a river that forms the border between Overijssel and Friesland in this part. On your right is De Rottige Meente, a nature reserve where you see a mosaic of water and land, reeds and flowering grasslands. This area is home to otters that have come to swim from the nearby Weerribben. At the intersection of Grindweg and Pieter Stuyvesantweg you will pass the monument to Stuyvesant, the pastor's son who grew up in Scherpenzeel.

Sailing villages
The Weerribben is one of the most beautiful nature reserves in the Netherlands. And one of the quietest. In this swampy swamp area you drive past endless reed beds, marshes and watercourses. You will also pass through characteristic sailing villages such as the Netherlands, Wetering and Ossenzijl where the thatched farmhouses often have black wooden walls. The route ends at Restaurant Ant Waeter where you can eat quietly on the terrace on the water.

Historic buildings and mills
There are two striking monumental windmills on the Rottige Meente. De Reiger is a former polder mill from 1871. Nowadays the mill has a residential function. De Rietvink dates from 1855 and is a polder mill capable of grinding. On the Hoogeweg are De Wicher, a spider mill from 1982, and the Tjasker Kalenberg from 1963 and the Tjasker Ossenzijl from 1977. You can also see a peat house and several nineteenth-century farm workers' houses on this road. Small farmers once lived here who earned money in the winter by cutting reed or digging peat. Would you also like to explore the Weerribben on foot? Then walk route 343920.