Noorderpark five-mill tour through the area of the New Dutch Waterline

Bike ride of 30 km that connects the mills and the forts in the Noorderpark.

Version 4/22/2013

Start flour mill De Kraai, Molenweg 24, Westbroek.
Windmill De Kraai was once the second largest flour mill in Amsterdam. In the capital, De Kraai devoted himself entirely to grinding corn and grain for almost 300 years. After its eventual move to Achttienhoven/ Westbroek around 1880, the mill not only milled grain. De Kraai became a pilot model in the search for electricity generation by windmills as a result of the increasing demand for energy in the post-war Netherlands. After a necessary, extensive restoration in 2012, flour mill De Kraai is running again. In the mill there is now a trade in animal feed, pet shop and garden items.

Exit the Molenweg and turn right at the end, Dr. Welfferweg. Follow this road, at the end to the left, Korssesteeg, and further left into the polder. For cars, the road ends in a roundabout, but continues as a cycle path until the Graaf Floris de Vijfde weg. Turn left there. This is the border between North Holland and Utrecht. Follow this road and at the fork go straight on the Kanaaldijk. Drive down the canal dike through the fence on the cycle path past an old duck cage. After a 2nd fence turn left onto the Dwarsdijk. After a bend to the right in the Dwarsdijk is seesaw watermill De Trouwe Waghter with wooden lock.

De Trouwe Waghter carried out the drainage of the Polder Tienhoven from 1833 to 1947. The mill owes its name to its role in the Second World War. In case of trouble, the miller warned people in hiding in the area by the position of the blades. Lock and mill were restored in 1982 and 2011 respectively. The mill is only used as a weekend house.

At the end of the Dwarsdijk in Tienhoven (On the right is Café Het Olde Regthuys) turn left onto the Laan van Niftarlake. This turns into the Looijdijk. Third road on the right, Middle way, turn into. On the Middenweg first road on the left, take the Landweg. Halfway along this road you cycle into the field of one of the forts that strengthened the Water line around the city of Utrecht, the Werk bij Maarsseveen. The field consisted of a circle with a radius of 1 km around the forts that had to be kept free of buildings. At the end of the Landweg turn right onto the Maarsseveensevaart. At the Herenweg turn left past Werk bij Maarsseveen.

The Werk at Maarsseveen, as the fort is formally called, was to defend the area on the east side against the enemy. The fort was built in 1881. It closed the Maarsseveense Vaart and the dikes of the Maarsseveense and Tienhovense Polders. Around the fort there are still a few wooden houses within the field of the fort that could be removed or burned down in case of threat of war so that the firing field was free again for shelling the enemy. From the fort you can see the wooden houses along the Herenweg. The wooden houses are typical of the Water line, also pay attention around the other forts.

Turn right at the Maarsseveense Poort, Tuinbouwweg, on the cycle path along the Stille Plas. At signpost no. 12311 turn left, Nedereindsevaart, through the tunnel under the Zuilense Ring to the two watermills of Oud-Zuilen: Molen van de Polder Westbroek and Molen van de Polder Buitenweg.
The mills are close to each other, but each drains its own polder. The large Mill of the Polder Westbroek pumped independently with a paddle wheel until 1946. Just after the war, the mill was still important to grind this part of the Water Line dry. The German occupiers had flooded the area to hinder the advancing Allies. Nowadays this is done mechanically and the mill works as an auxiliary pumping station. The small seesaw water mill, Molen van de Polder Buitenweg, works with a vertical screw pump.

The windmills of Oud-Zuilen fall just outside the field of Fort Maarsseveen. Follow the Groeneweg to the left until Kerkhoflaantje. Here left onto the Oostwaard. Later it was called Dorpsstraat. Continue at Restaurant Belle de Dorpsstraat. Where the Dorpsstraat turns into the Vechtdijk, you cycle into the field of Fort De Klop, on the outskirts of the city mainly facing north. Along the Vechtdijk towards Utrecht. Pass under the viaduct and past Fort de Klop turn left onto the cycle path, the Klopdijk, along the Klopvaart. The Klopvaart was the water inlet from the Lek of the Water line. The canal allowed the water to be led via Fort de Gagel to the polders around Westbroek. The two forts (De Klop and De Gagel) thus defended this strategic water intake. Cross the Orinocodreef and Rio Brancodreef.

The shooting field of Fort De Klop merges into the field of Fort De Gagel. The fort closed off the Gageldijk, Kerkeindse Dijk and the Klopdijk and protected inundation locks. The fort is owned by the municipality of Utrecht. The fort will be equipped with a combination of catering, recreation and information. This makes the fort a "city gate" between the city and the adjacent Noorderpark at a junction of rural cycling and walking routes.

At Karl Marxdreef turn left until the traffic lights of the roundabout. Then turn right towards Fort de Gagel. Turn right onto Gageldijk and after 2 km turn left onto Sint Anthoniedijk. This road falls just within the field of Fort Blauwkapel. Originally Blauwkapel was a village with the name Voordorp. The current Blue Chapel owes its name to the chapel that was built there in 1451 to replace an older chapel. The Fort Blauwkapel, which is located in the middle of the village, guarded the important rail connections from Utrecht to Amsterdam and Amersfoort.

Within the field of Fort Ruigenhoek, the Sint Anthoniedijk merges into the Kanonsdijk. Fort Ruigenhoek was built in the years 1869-1870 to close the Ruigenhoekse Dijk and to defend the turning quay between two inundation bowls. An inundation bowl is a part of the area that can be flooded for defense. The fort is now owned by staatsbosbeheer; various cultural events take place every year at the fort, such as the Cape festival. The fort also houses a natural swimming pool (De Kikker). In this area, also pay attention to all group shelters (bunkers) that were built just before the Second World War.

Where you pass Fort Ruigenhoek turn right onto the Ruigenhoeksedijk towards Groenekan. At Ruigenhoeksedijk 32 you will find the Geesina flour mill.
The Geesina was built in 1843 as a low scaffolding mill with no less than four pairs of stones. The hull is bricked from bronze to red colored ijsselsteentjes. Around 1930 the mill came out of operation and fell into disrepair. During the restoration in 2012 she got a hood and blades again and now runs every Saturday.

Molen Geesina is still within the field (1 km) of Fort Ruigenhoek. Continue on Ruigenhoeksedijk and at the end turn left onto the cycle path, Groenedijksepad. Halfway through the polder turn left, Geldersepad, which turns into the Kooijdijk. Halfway along the Kooijdijk you are outside the field of Fort Ruigenhoek. At the end turn right, Burgemeester Huijdecoperweg, direction Westbroek. At the Dutch Reformed Church and Café De Gram turn right, Dokter Welfferweg. Then turn right Molenweg. At the end of the Molenweg is flour mill De Kraai.

On nieuwehollandsewaterlinie.nl you can find more background information about the New Dutch Water Line.

For all routes in the beautiful Gooi & Vecht region and further tourist information, go to the official tourist office site of the region: www.visitgooivecht.nl