Walking through Spaarndam and along Beautiful Nel

Spaarndam is a beautiful old village, ideal for exploring on foot. In the countryside you walk along the banks of Beautiful Nel and pass two forts from the Defense Line of Amsterdam.

Beautiful Nel
From Haarlemmerliede you walk onto the dike. You will soon pass the Fort at Penningsveer, which was completed in 1901. A little later you see Beautiful Nel lying down. This lake was originally called'Mooie Hel\\\', a name that was later corrupted to Mooie Nel. On the right you look out over the vast lowlands, on the left you have occasional views of the lake. You will also pass the Slokop: a thatched polder mill from 1877.

Fort
The oldest part of Spaarndam is located on the western bank of the Spaarne. Here you see the Kolksluis from 1280: the oldest working lock in Europe! Around the lock you look out on a beautiful environment of centuries-old buildings. Café Spaarndam is also located here, time for a break! You walk along the Spaarne and Beautiful Nel for beautiful kilometers to Fort aan de Liebrug, the last attraction on your route.