From Vlaardingen to Hoek van Holland

This stage takes you along the New Maas, the Scheur and the New Waterway. The bustle of the harbours alternates with the green of the recreation areas along the route and the historical towns of Vlaardingen and Maassluis. These towns have long been associated with fishing and shipping. The end point, Hoek van Holland, has quite a different character again, as it is a bathing plate on the North Sea, where you can also view ships along on New Waterway. This is why it came to be called the "Gateway to Rotterdam". A very unusual attraction is the enormous Maeslantkering flood barrier, built to protect Rotterdam and the harbours against the effects of heavy seas.