De Westfriese Omringdijkroute

It is advisable to make it a multi-day cycling tour, so that you have plenty of time to visit sights along the way. There are many museums along the route, from a cheese museum to a steam engine museum. Part of the route takes you along the IJsselmeer and the Markermeer, and another part takes you through various towns and villages. The route is very popular by people who want to see the entire region, because you pass all the important places. The route takes you through cities such as Hoorn, Alkmaar, Schagen and Medemblik. It is wise to read in advance so that you can plan where you will stop along the way and what you want to see.

Directions

The route starts in Enkhuizen, where you first cycle southwest to Broekerhaven. You now cycle a large part of the route along the Markermeer, first passing Oostergouw and then passing De Weed and Oosterleek. Via Kraaienburg you cycle through Schellinkhout and Munnickaij to Hoorn. The port of Hoorn is a nice place to take a break if you want to sit on a terrace. Continue cycling along the Markermeer and leave Hoorn on the west side to continue on the road to Scharwoude. You now cycle to Schardam, but just before the village you turn west, at junction 37. You pass Oudendijk on the other side of the water, after which you cycle to Kathoek. At Ursem you cross the water and cycle all the way to Alkmaar. You cycle north over the Oude Kanaaldijk, to Koedijk. Now you cycle north of Koedijk along a beautiful lake, after which you drive via Schoorldam towards Krabbendam. At Sint Maarten you turn right, past Valkkoog, to Schagen. In Schagen you cycle through the center and leave the city in the east so that you end up in Nes. Via ‘t Wad you cycle through Poolland and Kreil and then past Kolhorn. Past Kolhorn, turn right onto Groetweg. You cycle to Medemblik via Aartswoud, Lambertschaag and Opperdoes. You cycle this last part of the route along the IJsselmeer. From Medemblik you cycle to Onderdijk. You now cycle past Bangert, through Kerbuurt to Broecord. Finally, you cycle through Oosterdijk back to Enkhuizen. Are you going to have a bite to eat or a drink during or after completing a cycling route? Don’t forget to lock your bike properly. Does your bicycle need a new bicycle lock? First check whether the lock you have in mind meets the requirements of insurers. You can see this using the ART quality mark, see here.

The nodes

During this route you follow the following junctions: 30, 12, 28, 47, 10, 09. 80 62, 59, 58, 36, 37, 38, 31, 30, 35, 01, 02, 52, 17, 51, 72 71, 16, 92, 95, 93, 44, 41, 32, 43, 25, 45, 36, 78, 77, 60, 59, 68, 02, 18, 71, 70, 62, 63, 90, 74 , 57, 16, 15, 14, 30.

Sights

This route takes you through nice villages and towns, with unique sights. Steam trains run between Hoorn and Medemblik on a track of no less than 20 kilometers. The trains run between the original stations and are definitely worth a visit. Another attraction is the Bottle Scheepjes Museum. This museum has more than a thousand ships in bottles, some of which are hundreds of years old. Another museum on the route is the Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar. This museum has a varied collection, such as paintings, toys and silverware. Just outside Medemblik you will find the Dutch Steam Engine Museum. The museum has a steam pumping station that is no less than 150 years old, with different types of machines running on different days. For people who want something completely different, there is the Dutch Cheese Museum in Alkmaar. In this museum you will learn all about the history of cheese and how cheese used to be made. There is another museum in Alkmaar, namely the Beer Museum. Here you will learn everything about brewing beer, which machines are used and how it was brewed in the past. In short, there are many museums on the route, with a museum to suit everyone’s taste.