Spotting ships and discovering villages in the Westland

A wonderful route past beautiful villages and recreational lakes in the bird-rich polder of the Westland. From the dike along the Nieuwe Waterweg you have beautiful views of the water, the harbor and the Westland.

Centuries-old places
Your route starts at Monsieur Paul, a brasserie in the historic city center of Maassluis. In medieval Maassluis you will see the Wippersmolen, a polder mill from 1726. You will immediately cycle into another beautiful town: the centuries-old picturesque mining village of Maasland. Here you can admire some beautiful buildings, such as the Oude Kerk, which originally dates from the fourteenth century. Museum de Schilpen is also beautiful: it is an eighty-year-old grocery store in its original state.

Recreational lakes
You cycle through the polders to Schipluiden, a nice village with beautiful buildings. The Village Church dates from the seventeenth century. A little later you drive past the Wollebrand, which is partly used as a recreational lake but also serves as a natural water storage. Just like the Kraaiennest, it is a quiet nature and recreation area. You drive back to Maassluis along the Nieuwe Waterweg. This connection between the port of Rotterdam and the North Sea was constructed in 1872. What ships you see here!