Mill route through the polder

The polder between Leiden and Alphen aan den Rijn is ideal for a day of walking. You can enjoy beautiful views and numerous windmills here - not surprising for an area that is located in the middle of the Randstad.

Water
The walk will lead you along the Wijde Aa and the Does, one of the oldest artificial waterways in South Holland. The Does was probably dug as early as the twelfth century to solve drainage problems with the Oude Rijn and the surrounding peat bogs. The first water board in the Netherlands was founded here in the thirteenth century: the Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland.

Polder mills
During your route you will also see some polder windmills. The Kalkmolen originally drained the seventeenth-century Kalkpolder. In 2006 the mill was in such a bad condition that it disappeared into storage. The mill is now in use again, as a lower mill of the Doespolder. Only the color has changed: from green to red. The Achthovensemolen is also a beauty; this seesaw mill from 1893 is located south of the Does on the Ruigekade. The Lagenwaard Mill a little further is also a seesaw mill.