Bicycle route around Stootersplas

From Zaandam, make the crossing to the Stootersplas. This is sandwiched between Amsterdam, Zaandam and Purmerend. Due to the abundance of water, many marsh, reed and water birds can be found such as the bittern, shoveler, bearded reedling and wigeon. Around the water are meadows with, among others, Scottish Highlanders, foxes and ermines, forests with, among others, the great spotted woodpecker, jay and nightingale. The area is also home to birds of prey, such as the hawk, buzzard and kestrel. On the north side of Stootersplas a concrete nesting wall has been built where the bank swallow can dig a nest out of clay. Because the lake was excavated to a depth of over 30 meters, the bottom consists of sandy soil and the water is exceptionally clear compared to surrounding areas. In the 1960s a great deal of sand was extracted from beneath the peat for the construction of the Coentunnel railway line. In Landsmeer you briefly see the inhabited world before continuing on through the nature reserve. After this green oasis near the Randstad, you cycle along the Zaanse Schans, the area where historic wooden buildings can still be seen. With the Zaans Museum, View Tower Zaanse Schans, the Museum Shop and a series of windmills including the oldest tower mill in the Netherlands, a break here is almost mandatory.