Alkmaar, Oudorp, Zuidschermer

Does the best Gouda cheese in the world come from Alkmaar? Yes, because ‘Gouda’ is just a recipe. In the polders east of Alkmaar, it is applied to the creamy milk of strong, black-and-white cows that graze on what was once the bottom of a salty, marshy lake. Dairy farmers with a great love for their profession make it into a wonderfully flavoursome cheese, recognisable by its red seal. Now available in countless variations from young to old, each with new and surprising additions.

Until the 16th century, Alkmaar was located in a lake district. Shipping and the associated trade brought great prosperity to the fortified town. This is still reflected in the opulent architecture from that period. The prosperity attracted new residents, and in order to feed this growing population, there was a need for more farmland throughout North Holland. This was created by building dykes around the lakes, digging ditches and canals and then reclaiming the land with the help of more than fifty windmills. First they removed the water from the small streams. Then from the large ones. The Schermeer, right on the east side of the city, was the last to be reclaimed. The Schermer polder was completed in 1635.

However, the soil was less fertile than elsewhere in the area. The former marshland did prove to be well suited for grassland, and thus for livestock farming and cheese making. It was the start of the oldest cheese market in the Netherlands, on Waagplein in Alkmaar. To this day, the cheese market with all its traditions and folklore is held there every Friday from March to October.

Waagplein is a famous stopping point on this Cycle route. On Fridays if you want to visit the famous market. On most other weekdays to visit the Cheese Museum, located in the beautiful Waag building. The playful, well-organised museum is an experience in itself. You will learn all about the countless facets of cheese making. At the same time, you are treated to paintings, drawings, sculptures, stained glass and ornamental ironwork. Then you continue on your way through the new residential and commercial area of Overstad, past thatched windmills to the quiet Oudorp, Grootschermer and Graft and further on to the silence and vastness of the Schermer polder. You will see one beautiful traditional Dutch farmhouse after another, cross the North Holland Canal on a ferry and can stop by at the organic dairy farm Het Vertrouwen in Akersloot. And if you still want more cheese, you can end the day at various restaurants in Alkmaar or the surrounding countryside. With real Alkmaar cheese soup.


Note!
You will come across a bicycle ferry along the way. On the first Tuesday of the month, the Akersloot ferry does not operate between 09:30 and 12:30. There is no alternative route, so check the Pitstop to plan your crossing.

This premium cycle route was compiled by our editor Wilmie Geurtjens.