ROUTE 2: WATERLAND

(Northern Netherlands)

The battle against the water is as old as the Netherlands itself. Sitting between the sea and large rivers, the little low-lying country is threatened by the water on all sides. But the water also creates a beautiful and unique environment rich in biodiversity.

1. The ‘Waterland’ route starts in Schokland. In the middle of the relatively young Noordoostpolder there is some very old land. The former island of Schokland symbolises the heroic age-old battle that the Dutch have waged against the ever-encroaching water.

2. Next the route takes you north to the D.F. Wouda Steam Pumping Station in Lemmer. This impressive ‘cathedral of steam’ is the largest steam pumping station ever built. And it still operates to this day. Old it may be, but it still serves a vital purpose. When water levels are dangerously high, this unique steam pumping station keeps Frisian feet dry.

3. The route ends at the Wadden Sea, where you can see how the water itself has formed a unique landscape. Nowhere else in the world have the ebb and flow of the tides created dynamics like those in the Wadden Sea. The intertidal zone is home to more than 10,000 species of flora and fauna. This makes it an exceptional breeding ground, migration stopover point and wintering habitat.