Peat cutters and reed cutters
Bant, Ossenzijl, Kuinre
De Weerribben is a protected nature reserve that largely originated from two human activities: peat cutting and reed cutting. Since 1992, it has been a national park managed by the Forestry Commission. In 2009, it became 'National Park Weerribben-Wieden' together with the nature reserve De Wieden to the south. The history of this area goes back to the Middle Ages, when the village of Calumburg was founded in 1313, now called Kalenberg. The inhabitants of this village started extracting peat in the swampy peat bog. Peat, basically dried peat mud, was used as fuel for heating and food preparation. To extract peat, trenches were dug in which water collected (so-called 'draught holes'). Along the trenches, the land was raised so that the extracted peat could be laid out to dry there. These drying fields were also called 'ribs'. Peat was still extracted in this way until the late 1940s, but to an increasingly lesser extent. Draining more and more swamps also created larger and larger areas of water, so the area that could be excavated became smaller and smaller. Therefore, the inhabitants increasingly turned to other economic activities, especially fishing and reed cutting. The reeds grew along the sides of the ditches and were mainly used for constructing thatched roofs on houses. For decades, most residents of the area were both peat cutters, fishermen and cane cutters. Much changed from the moment a pumping station was built in the early 20th century to drain more area. The pumped water was discharged into the Zuiderzee. From 1918, plans were developed to also reclaim parts of that Zuiderzee itself, and in 1942 the current area of the Noordoostpolder was completely drained. The Weerribben nevertheless remained a marshy area, its main feature being the rectilinear draughts with raised ribs along them. Cutting peat was no longer profitable with the advent of coal and fuel oil, but growing and processing reeds remained so. The reed from the Weerribben, the 'Kalenberger reed', was and still is known for its good quality as roofing material. Even since the Weerribben became a protected nature reserve, reed is still grown and cut by some family farms. The families lease area from the Forestry Commission and are also partly subsidised, because reed cultivation prevents the area from growing completely dense with trees and bushes. This is important from a nature management point of view, as many plants, birds and mammals benefit from a somewhat open marshland. Living in the Weerribben include purple herons, black terns, warblers, reed warblers and (since they were released in 2022) otters. The rare great fire butterfly and the dark damselfly (a dragonfly) are also found here. Photo peat cutters: National Archives This Premium cycle route was compiled by our editor: Frans Glissenaar.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
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Start: Friesepad , 8314 PT Noordoostpolder | 55.1 KM | |
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From
25
to
60
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2103 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head north on Friesepad | 2.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 60 | 0 M | ||
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From
60
to
97
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280 M | 0.3 KM | |
| Head northeast on Schoterweg | 280 M | ||
| You are now at section 97 | 0 M | ||
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From
97
to
33
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1631 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head northeast on Schoterweg | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 33 | 0 M | ||
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From
33
to
26
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2945 M | 2.9 KM | |
| Head northeast on Hopweg | 2.9 KM | ||
| You are now at section 26 | 0 M | ||
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From
26
to
30
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4396 M | 4.4 KM | |
| Head northeast on Worstsloot | 101 M | ||
| Turn right onto Schoterzijl | 200 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zeedijk | 481 M | ||
| Turn left onto Nieuweweg | 3.2 KM | ||
| Turn left to stay on Nieuweweg | 388 M | ||
| You are now at section 30 | 0 M | ||
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From
30
to
28
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1961 M | 2 KM | |
| Head north on Grindweg | 836 M | ||
| Turn right onto De Ribbe | 202 M | ||
| Turn left onto Voetpad | 923 M | ||
| You are now at section 28 | 0 M | ||
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From
28
to
35
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2376 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head north on Voetpad | 981 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Voetpad | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 35 | 0 M | ||
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From
35
to
36
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4154 M | 4.2 KM | |
| Head southeast on Veendijk | 631 M | ||
| Continue straight onto Veendijk | 9 M | ||
| Continue straight onto Veendijk | 1.5 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Pieter Stuyvesantweg | 242 M | ||
| Turn left | 49 M | ||
| Turn left onto Lindedijk | 1.7 KM | ||
| You are now at section 36 | 0 M | ||
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From
36
to
32
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3347 M | 3.3 KM | |
| Head west on Lindedijk | 3.3 KM | ||
| You are now at section 32 | 0 M | ||
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From
32
to
5
|
879 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head southeast on Burgemeester van der Veenweg | 879 M | ||
| You are now at section 05 | 0 M | ||
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From
5
to
10
|
323 M | 0.3 KM | |
| Head southeast on Burgemeester van der Veenweg | 13 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hoofdstraat | 310 M | ||
| You are now at section 10 | 0 M | ||
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From
10
to
14
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4698 M | 4.7 KM | |
| Head south on Hilligerspoortweg | 366 M | ||
| Continue straight | 25 M | ||
| Turn right onto Oudeweg | 3.3 KM | ||
| Continue straight | 22 M | ||
| Continue onto Kalenberg-Noord | 945 M | ||
| You are now at section 14 | 0 M | ||
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From
14
to
43
|
904 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head east on Kalenberg Zuid | 904 M | ||
| You are now at section 43 | 0 M | ||
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From
43
to
42
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2027 M | 2 KM | |
| Head southeast on Kooibomenpad | 2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 42 | 0 M | ||
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From
42
to
41
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2716 M | 2.7 KM | |
| Head west on Veldhuisweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Baarlingerweg | 922 M | ||
| Turn left onto Baarlo | 630 M | ||
| You are now at section 41 | 0 M | ||
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From
41
to
40
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2923 M | 2.9 KM | |
| Head west on Baarlo | 102 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Kuinderdijk | 2.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 40 | 0 M | ||
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From
40
to
51
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2374 M | 2.4 KM | |
| Head northwest on Blokzijlerdijk | 2.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 51 | 0 M | ||
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From
51
to
1
|
4725 M | 4.7 KM | |
| Head northwest on Hammerdijk | 2.7 KM | ||
| Turn right | 7 M | ||
| Turn left | 1 KM | ||
| Make a slight right onto Blankenhammerzeedijk | 669 M | ||
| Turn left onto Nieuwstad | 97 M | ||
| Turn left onto Henric de Cranestraat | 49 M | ||
| Turn right to stay on Henric de Cranestraat | 53 M | ||
| Turn left onto Sleep | 130 M | ||
| Continue slightly left onto Beurtmanskaai | 30 M | ||
| You are now at section 1 | 0 M | ||
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From
1
to
88
|
402 M | 0.4 KM | |
| Head northeast on Beurtmanskaai | 8 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Sasplein | 213 M | ||
| Turn right | 111 M | ||
| Continue onto Kuinderweg | 70 M | ||
| You are now at section 88 | 0 M | ||
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From
88
to
24
|
1909 M | 1.9 KM | |
| Head south on Kuinderweg | 16 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 847 M | ||
| Turn right | 99 M | ||
| Turn left | 398 M | ||
| Turn left onto Anton Remijnsepad | 343 M | ||
| Make a slight right to stay on Anton Remijnsepad | 206 M | ||
| You are now at section 24 | 0 M | ||
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From
24
to
36
|
1069 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head southwest | 1 KM | ||
| Make a slight left | 60 M | ||
| You are now at section 36 | 0 M | ||
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From
36
to
15
|
613 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head southeast on Oosterringweg | 572 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kuinderweg | 41 M | ||
| You are now at section 15 | 0 M | ||
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From
15
to
81
|
4233 M | 4.2 KM | |
| Head south on Kuinderweg | 1.5 KM | ||
| Continue straight | 102 M | ||
| Turn right | 2.3 KM | ||
| Keep left at the fork | 331 M | ||
| You are now at section 81 | 0 M | ||
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From
81
to
25
|
2133 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head west | 8 M | ||
| Turn right onto Friesepad | 2.1 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Oosterringweg (N715) | 10 M | ||
| Turn right onto Friesepad | 31 M | ||
| You are now at section 25 | 0 M |