Cycling routes in Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland is known for its centuries-old struggle against the water. In recent decades this has led to a wide range of measures that give the people of Zeeland security where they live and work, and also to many projects that make the province even more attractive to visitors. That applies not only to water sports enthusiasts but just as much to lovers of cycling, who can enjoy themselves to the full on beautiful routes that all have one thing in common: a view of the water.
Zeeland's three thousand square kilometres, with almost as much water as land, divide into three beautiful regions, each with its own character, shaped by dunes and dykes, wide sandy beaches and salt marshes. It hardly needs saying that Zeeland teems with waterbirds and meadow birds, both along the coast and inland in its woods and dunes.
Schouwen-Duiveland and Tholen
From the north, visitors cross via the N57 (Brouwersdam) or the N59 (Grevelingendam) to Schouwen-Duiveland, with the well-known seaside resorts of Renesse and Burgh-Haamstede, where dunes of up to 40 metres are literally one of the high points of the province. Broad golden beaches form the backdrop on the west side, and further on lie Zierikzee and Bruinisse, much-loved little towns with a rich fishing past.
To the east, Tholen is a small separate peninsula linked to the province of North Brabant. Despite its modest size, it is blessed with a number of fine polder cycle routes, with views of old villages, dykes, windmills and forts.
Walcheren and North and South Beveland
Crossing the Oosterschelde storm surge barrier and the work island of Neeltje Jans, you then reach the region of Walcheren and North and South Beveland, squeezed between the Oosterschelde and the Westerschelde (the gateway to Antwerp) and also Zeeland's largest island. This is where you will find the capital Middelburg, known among other things for its splendid Gothic town hall and imposing abbey. Other notable attractions are the seaside and fishing town of Vlissingen and, not to be forgotten, Goes with its beautiful fortress moat.
Zeelandic Flanders
From Vlissingen, the foot and bicycle ferry takes you across to Breskens in Zeelandic Flanders (Zeeuws-Vlaanderen), the southern region on the border with Belgium, with its popular sandy beaches; by car you take the Westerschelde Tunnel, which is closed to cyclists. The main seaside resorts are Cadzand, Groede and Breskens, while the small town of Terneuzen further on is well worth a visit. A remarkable landscape is the Drowned Land of Saeftinghe (Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe), north-east of Hulst, a brackish tidal area with an extremely large tidal range. Visitors may also be somewhat surprised to come across place names such as Boerenhol and Boerengat. From the border village of Sluis, the Belgian coast is easy to reach.