Creeks and pools of Waterland

A wonderful day of walking along the water, from the wide IJmeer to the enclosed Gouwzee and from creeks to pools. Beautiful at any time of the year!

IJmeer
First a cup of coffee on the beautiful terrace of Restaurant Poort van Amsterdam, on the water of the Markermeer, and then you hit the road. From the dike you have a wide view over the IJmeer. A little later you walk along the Uitdammer Die, a former estuary of the Zuiderzee - 'that' means creek here in Waterland. Together with the Holysloter Die and the Ransloter Die, it forms a vast area of creeks.

Oosterpoel
Along the Groote Meer you walk to the northern Zeedijk, where you walk along the edge of the Gouwzee. Here you have a view of Marken and Monnickendam, two beautiful old places. Just before your end point you have a beautiful view over the Oosterpoel, caused by a dike breach. Breakthroughs of this kind caused bends in the dike, also because in many places outside the dike land was calving and growing again. Hence the capricious shape of the Zeedijk!