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Bracing walk on the IJsselmeer coast

(15.3 km)

Enjoy a bracing walk along the shore of the former Zuiderzee inlet. Much of it will take you along this old sea dike and sections of the Zuiderzeepad hiking trail. You can start the walk in Workum or Stavoren and take in beautiful views of Lake IJsselmeer on one side and Frisian countryside on the other. There are several gates you have to pass through along the way. You will also encounter sheep. You can make your way back along the same route or head for the train station in Stavoren and travel back to Workum on an Arriva train.

Stavoren, Molkwerum, Hindeloopen and Worku…

Enjoy a bracing walk along the shore of the former Zuiderzee inlet. Much of it will take you along this old sea dike and sections of the Zuiderzeepad hiking trail. You can start the walk in Workum or Stavoren and take in beautiful views of Lake IJsselmeer on one side and Frisian countryside on the other. There are several gates you have to pass through along the way. You will also encounter sheep. You can make your way back along the same route or head for the train station in Stavoren and travel back to Workum on an Arriva train.

Stavoren, Molkwerum, Hindeloopen and Workum are all worth exploring. In Stavoren you can eat fish next to the Fish Fountain and stroll through the old harbour. The picturesque village of Molkwerum is very photogenic with its maze of narrow streets, canals and little bridges. This is also the home of Molkwarder Koeke cake, a regional specialty. Next to the cake factory, there is a nostalgically decorated bakery that brings the past to life. For many years Hindeloopen was a closed community, so today the city is like an open-air museum. If you have time, be sure to visit Hindeloopen Museum where you can see the decorative work of Hindeloopen artists. The walk starts or ends in Workum, the city that the master artist Jopie Huisman described as heaven. Be sure to look up and take in the many different facades in the city centre.

Along the way, you pass the Bocht van Molkwar nature reserve, where the birds are moving elements in a real-life landscape painting. The reserve is managed by It Fryske Gea, the organisation that protects Friesland’s natural and cultural heritage. This is a lovely place to stop for a rest. Be sure to check out the bird-watching hide. As many as 15,000 ruffs spend the night on the reserve in the early spring. Or maybe you will spot a Eurasian teal, a common goldeneye, a spotted redshank or a great black-backed gull. Above all, be sure to enjoy the beautiful views of Lake IJsselmeer.

Sights on this route

Starting point: Station Workum
Seburch
8711 Workum
92
91
1

Workum Lighthouse

You'll find Workum lighthouse on the Hylperdyk at the entrance to the harbour. It's known as the Toarntsje (little tower), which is very apt for the square white brick tower.

Workum Lighthouse
22
20
21
2

KNRM lifeboat station

A particularly photogenic building and location is the bright blue KNRM lifeboat station on the dike in Hindeloopen. The old lifeboat station dating from 1911 has become a national monument.

KNRM lifeboat station
3

Museum Hindeloopen

Three centuries ago, Hindeloopen grew into a major trading city. The city had a large fleet of 100 ships that sailed across the ocean. Hindeloopen is still an attractive city to visit. Many old characteristic properties are preserved.

Museum Hindeloopen Museum Hindeloopen buitenzijde
4

Church of Hindeloopen

The Hindeloopen skyline is dominated by its church, called Grote Kerk, visible from many miles away. The old church of Hindeloopen was destroyed during the Eighty Years’ War, in 1570.

Church of Hindeloopen
5

Hindeloopen (Hylpen)

Hindeloopen, or Hylpen as we say in Friesland, is known for its painting and stylish costumes from the past.

Hindeloopen (Hylpen) Hindeloopen
6

Nationaal Monument Missing Airmen

In het IJsselmeer, vlakbij Molkwerum, vind je het nationaal monument Missing Airmen

Nationaal Monument Missing Airmen
70
33
7

The railway port of Stavoren

Before construction of the Afsluitdijk, the ferry between Enkhuizen in Noord-Holland and Stavoren was a very popular connection. You arrived in Stavoren by train, switched to the ferry and could continue to travel by train from Enkhuizen.

The railway port of Stavoren
8

Stavoren (Starum)

Stavoren (or Starum as we say in Friesland) is very much the main city of the IJsselmeer, being enclosed by the lake on three sides. It is also the oldest city of Friesland, founded around 300 BC at a waterway, and gaining city rights in the 11th century.

Stavoren (Starum) Fontein Stavoren
9

11Fountains Stavoren

The sea gives, the sea takes. Stavoren, once a rich Hanseatic city, has much to say on this subject. Floods, maritime trade wars, a port that silted up: the city fell into poverty several times.

11Fountains Stavoren
10

The harbour of Stavoren

Experience the atmosphere of trade, fishing and recreational sailing. Stavoren is uniquely situated, as it is surrounded by the IJsselmeer lake on three sides.

The harbour of Stavoren
11

Museum 't Ponthús

Here the time line of the famous Stavoren stories is brought to life. Why was Stavoren a target for the Vikings? And how about the trading relationship with Hamburg? Or read more about the story of the emergency landing of the Halifax V during the Second

Museum 't Ponthús
61
32
End point: Station Stavoren
Schans
8715 Stavoren

Directions

Starting point: Station Workum
Seburch
8711 Workum

Wandelknoopppunten

92, 22, 23, 70 en 32

Start: treinstation Workum

Eind: treinstation Stavoren

End point: Station Stavoren
Schans
8715 Stavoren
  • 92
  • 91
  • 22
  • 20
  • 21
  • 70
  • 33
  • 61
  • 32