Private Guided Bike Tour Hoorn Countryside and Historical Center

Hoorn

During the tour, we will cycle about 1.5 hours and pause for a coffee stop for half an hour. In addition, we regularly stop at places of interest to explain the surroundings and history of Hoorn. The total duration of the tour (stops, coffee break and cycling) is approx. 3 hours. The route will be chosen by mutual agreement. We can choose a route along older villages and windmills, we can visit the old waterworks and polders or we can make a tour where we follow the development of the city between the year 1600 and now. In any case, we will always also visit the historic center of Hoorn with its beautiful harbor area and cozy town squares.

• Admission Ticket Free

Etersheimer Braakmolen

My favorite tour goes from Hoorn south to the drowned village of Etersheim. Cycling along the dike you have continuous views of the Markermeer and the villages behind the dike. We pass a beautiful outer dike nature reserve and the village of Schardam. The beautiful mill in Etersheimbraak is the turning point and a good location for a cup of coffee or a snack.

15 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Molen de Krijgsman

If we choose a route along the villages of Zwaag, Oosterblokker and Schellinkhout, we will pass Mill “De Krijgsman. The first mill in Oosterblokker was originally built in 1602. When it blew down completely in 1862, a new octagonal wooden mill was built; De Krijgsman. This mill burned down in September 1896 due to a lightning strike. Parts of a mill from Zaandam were used to rebuild it. Because there was a lot of fruit growing in the area, in order to catch enough wind, the mill was placed on a five-meter high substructure. This made the new Molen de Krijgsman, with a rack height of 10.40 meters, the highest mill in North Holland. Today, the mill houses a bakery and cafe. An ideal stopover for a cup of coffee or a snack.

15 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

With each route we choose, we will cycle at least a small section on the De Westfriese Omringdijk. This is a 126 km long dike, created by linking several short dikes in the West Friesland region. The dike runs through the towns of Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Alkmaar, Schagen, Medemblik and again Enkhuizen. West Friesland has a long tradition of building dikes to keep areas dry. In the mid-thirteenth century, more and more areas began to be connected with dikes. Over time, a system was created that is now known as the Westfriese Omringdijk. From the beginning of the sixteenth century, the dikes increasingly came into their final place.

• Admission Ticket Free

Hoofdtoren Hoorn uit 1532-1534

My favorite sight is without doubt the Main Tower. And it’s not only the tower itself but also the surroundings. The tower itself was built in 1532 and originally intended as a defensive tower. At this time Hoorn was a rapidly developing trading town on the Zuiderzee. The semicircular tower has a straight facade on the city side in late Gothic style. On the sea side it has a round wall of 1.5 m thick. Nowadays it houses a restaurant, nice for a dinner in a special historical setting!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free