Cycle route along the Zwarte Water and the Blauwe Hand
Meppel, Zwartsluis, Wanneperveen
From Meppel, cycle towards the lake district in the Kop van Overijssel and you will come to Blauwe Hand (Blue Hand), a small but special place with a striking name. There are various legends and stories about the name. One of the most remarkable stories tells of an inn where a fight took place around 1578 between a pedlar and the innkeeper. During this fight, the hand of a friend of the innkeeper was cut off and placed in spirits of wine. After a while, this hand turned blue, and that is how the inn, and later the surrounding area, supposedly got the name ‘Blue Hand’. Another explanation suggests that the name comes from an inn that used to be located here. Legend has it that a traveller in the inn had painted his hand blue, which drew attention and gave the inn its well-known name. Today it is a paradise for water sports enthusiasts, with wide lakes such as the Beulakerwijde and Belterwijde where you can see sailing boats, canoes and sloops passing by. The cycle paths take you along beautiful stretches of water and over bridges spanning the canals. After Blauwe Hand you will arrive in Zwartsluis, a lively village with a rich maritime history. This was once an important trading centre for peat, fish and grain. The final stage begins here: the road along the Zwarte Water (Black Water). The Zwarte Water is a river that flows from Zwolle to Zwartsluis and empties into the Zwarte Meer. You will cycle along this river through a beautiful landscape of reed beds, green pastures and old dykes. Nearby is the historic Zwartewaterklooster, once a resting place for noble nuns and knights who had fought their last battle. Could the dark colour of the water be due to its depth, the bottom or perhaps a touch of magic? Who knows!
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Veneweg , 7946 LX Steenwijkerland | 54.3 KM | |
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From
94
to
13
|
2286 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head southeast on Blauwehandseweg | 2.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 13 | 0 M | ||
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From
13
to
56
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1490 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head south on Blauwehandseweg | 1.5 KM | ||
| You are now at section 56 | 0 M | ||
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From
56
to
12
|
3527 M | 3.5 KM | |
| Head south on Zomerdijk | 1.9 KM | ||
| Make a slight right | 33 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zomerdijk | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Dwarsstraat | 7 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Kerkstraat | 192 M | ||
| You are now at section 12 | 0 M | ||
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From
12
to
93
|
703 M | 0.7 KM | |
| Head northwest on Stationsweg | 74 M | ||
| Turn right onto Nieuwe Weg | 494 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Westeinde | 135 M | ||
| You are now at section 93 | 0 M | ||
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From
93
to
83
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1474 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head southwest on Westeinde | 196 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Westeinde | 121 M | ||
| Continue onto Oppen Swolle | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 83 | 0 M | ||
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From
83
to
27
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1223 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Veerweg | 514 M | ||
| Take the ferry | 195 M | ||
| Continue slight left onto Veerweg | 514 M | ||
| You are now at section 27 | 0 M | ||
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From
27
to
36
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9513 M | 9.5 KM | |
| Head south on Westerkaai | 27 M | ||
| Turn left onto Havenplein | 176 M | ||
| Turn left onto Klaas Benninkstraat | 86 M | ||
| Turn left onto Fabrieksstraat | 114 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oosterkaai | 177 M | ||
| Turn right onto Industriestraat | 43 M | ||
| Turn left onto Sasweg | 59 M | ||
| Keep right onto Sasdijk | 59 M | ||
| Continue straight | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Cellemuiden | 140 M | ||
| Turn left onto Ringweg | 2.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Cellemuiden | 4.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 36 | 0 M | ||
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From
36
to
37
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197 M | 0.2 KM | |
| Head east | 197 M | ||
| You are now at section 37 | 0 M | ||
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From
37
to
38
|
471 M | 0.5 KM | |
| Head north on Zwartewaterweg | 369 M | ||
| Keep left onto Zwartewaterweg | 102 M | ||
| You are now at section 38 | 0 M | ||
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From
38
to
39
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3345 M | 3.3 KM | |
| Head south on Hoogstraat | 248 M | ||
| Turn left onto Markt | 307 M | ||
| Turn left onto Wilhelminalaan | 146 M | ||
| Turn right onto Bolwerk | 5 M | ||
| Turn right onto Jennegiespad | 79 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kalkovenwegje | 227 M | ||
| Turn left onto Telvorenstraat | 192 M | ||
| Turn left onto Nadorsterrandpad | 369 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zwartsluizerweg | 393 M | ||
| Turn right onto Manegepad | 156 M | ||
| Turn left onto Landauer | 75 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Landauer | 73 M | ||
| Turn right onto Sjees | 40 M | ||
| Turn left onto Roskam | 168 M | ||
| Turn left onto Kooikerspad | 278 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Kooikerspad | 254 M | ||
| Turn right onto Stadsweg | 335 M | ||
| You are now at section 39 | 0 M | ||
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From
39
to
30
|
1721 M | 1.7 KM | |
| Head northeast on Stadsweg | 117 M | ||
| Turn left onto Wijkweg | 806 M | ||
| Continue straight | 665 M | ||
| Continue onto Zwartewaterkloosterweg | 133 M | ||
| You are now at section 30 | 0 M | ||
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From
30
to
96
|
4975 M | 5 KM | |
| Head east on Zwartewaterkloosterweg | 2.2 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Conradsweg | 623 M | ||
| Turn left onto Postweg | 2.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 96 | 0 M | ||
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From
96
to
18
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1330 M | 1.3 KM | |
| Head west on Dekkersland | 1.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 18 | 0 M | ||
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From
18
to
76
|
5448 M | 5.4 KM | |
| Head northeast on Stouweweg | 5.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Staphorster Grote Stouwe | 98 M | ||
| You are now at section 76 | 0 M | ||
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From
76
to
49
|
2919 M | 2.9 KM | |
| Head north on Staphorster Grote Stouwe | 874 M | ||
| Continue onto Hesselingen | 265 M | ||
| Turn left onto Europalaan | 24 M | ||
| Turn right onto Hesselingen | 791 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Hesselingen | 406 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hesselingen | 221 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Kastanjelaan | 8 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Kastanjelaan | 117 M | ||
| Turn right onto Meester Harm Smeengekade | 183 M | ||
| Turn left onto Oude Boazstraat | 30 M | ||
| You are now at section 49 | 0 M | ||
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From
49
to
47
|
3720 M | 3.7 KM | |
| Head northwest on Zuideindigerpad | 43 M | ||
| Turn right onto Stoombootkade | 73 M | ||
| Turn left onto Brouwersstraat | 378 M | ||
| Turn left onto Molenstraat | 323 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Noordeinde | 28 M | ||
| Turn left onto Ceintuurbaan | 51 M | ||
| Continue onto Steenwijkerstraatweg | 329 M | ||
| Turn left onto Jan Huygen van Linschotenstraat; J H v Linschotenstraat | 88 M | ||
| Turn left | 43 M | ||
| Turn right | 115 M | ||
| Turn right onto Nijeveenseweg | 645 M | ||
| Turn left onto Guldenmiddenweg | 55 M | ||
| Turn right | 26 M | ||
| Continue onto Meppelerweg | 596 M | ||
| Turn left onto Matenweg | 927 M | ||
| You are now at section 47 | 0 M | ||
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From
47
to
65
|
3110 M | 3.1 KM | |
| Head southwest on Matenweg | 1.1 KM | ||
| Make a slight right | 13 M | ||
| Turn right onto Nieuwe Dijk | 408 M | ||
| Turn left towards Wanneperveen | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 65 | 0 M | ||
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From
65
to
66
|
3002 M | 3 KM | |
| Head southwest on Veneweg | 249 M | ||
| Turn right onto Dominee A.C. van Raalteweg; Ds A.C. van Raalteweg | 142 M | ||
| Turn left onto Zuster A. Kortplantsoen; Zr. A. Kortplantsoen | 145 M | ||
| Turn right onto Burgemeester Pastoorstraat | 33 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Burgemeester Pastoorstraat | 66 M | ||
| Turn right | 277 M | ||
| Continue onto Wethouder Huismanstraat; Weth. Huismanstraat | 62 M | ||
| Turn left onto Bovenboersepad | 529 M | ||
| Turn right onto Veneweg | 13 M | ||
| Turn left onto Bovenboersepad | 1.5 KM | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Bovenboersepad | 16 M | ||
| You are now at section 66 | 0 M | ||
|
From
66
to
63
|
1844 M | 1.8 KM | |
| Head south on Bovenboersepad | 1.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 63 | 0 M | ||
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From
63
to
94
|
1990 M | 2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Veneweg | 893 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 70 M | ||
| Continue onto Veneweg | 670 M | ||
| Turn left onto Veneweg | 357 M | ||
| You are now at section 94 | 0 M |