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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

Workum (Warkum)

Workum (or Warkum as we say in Friesland), is one of the famous Frisian cities that has enjoyed city rights since 1399. Located on the shores of the former Zuiderzee and bordering the Frisian lakes.

Workum (Warkum) Workum Fontein
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Jopie Huisman Museum

The Jopie Huisman Museum is dedicated to the life and work of the Frisian self-taught master painter Jopie Huisman. His love of nature and his compassion are a recurrent theme.

Jopie Huisman Museum

Museum Warkums Erfskip

Museum Warkums Erfskip is housed in the old Waag building in the center and tells more about the history of Workum and its surroundings. It is the starting point to discover and admire the highlights of the beautiful city of Workum.

Museum Warkums Erfskip It Stedhûs

11Fountains Workum

For centuries Workum’s city arms on ‘De Waag’ have been supported by two lions. They are naive and their theatrical pose prompts laughter.

11Fountains Workum

Sint Gertrudis church

On ‘De Merk’, you'll find ’Workum Cathedral’, Sint Gertrudis church. This is the largest late-Gothic cruciform church of Friesland, with the largest windows in all the province.

Sint Gertrudis church St. Gertrudiskerk vanuit de lucht
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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
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Hindeloopen (Hylpen)

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

Visit Hindeloopen

Hindeloopen (Hylpen) Hindeloopen

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

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

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

11Fountains Hindeloopen

The city coat of arms, with its tree of life, with the deer and the doe surrounding it, is the source of inspiration for the fountain in Hindeloopen.

11Fountains Hindeloopen

Kitesurfing Spot at Hindeloopen

Behind the dike at Hindeloopen there is a great shallow-water kitesurfing spot where you can kitesurf all year round. This is the ideal place to head for when popular spots such as Workum are crowded. But bear in mind that there is no beach...

Kitesurfing Spot at Hindeloopen

Molkwerum - Bocht van Molkwerum - Vogelkijkhut Swan

Veel vogels te zien, aan het IJsselmeer.

Molkwerum - Bocht van Molkwerum - Vogelkijkhut Swan
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Molkwerum (Molkwar)

Molkwerum is een klein dorpje met een interessante geschiedenis, niet ver van het IJsselmeer gelegen.

Molkwerum (Molkwar) Bakkerswinkeltsje Molkwar

IJsselmeer

Het IJsselmeer is ontstaan na het voltooien van de afsluitdijk, de vroegere Zuiderzee werd hierdoor opgesplitst in de Waddenzee en het IJsselmeer.

IJsselmeer
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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

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

The Lady of Stavoren

From the 15th century on, the flourishing Hanseatic city of Stavoren began to fall upon bad times. It is this period in history that is related in the saga of the Lady of Stavoren. In the saga, all aspects of Stavoren as a trading city are covered.

The Lady of Stavoren

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
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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
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