Kogen and vomit route
The Netherlands flat? Not on the Kogen and brakenroute, where the difference in height between the dykes and kogen is sometimes as much as 10 metres!
A 'koog' or 'kaag' is a piece of land that originally lay outside the polders and was wet and swampy due to the lack of dykes and drainage. The Kogenroute starts in Oosthuizen and takes you past villages such as Beets and Schardam. Furthermore, the route leads past the Etersheimer breach, where clay was excavated to strengthen the sea dyke, resulting in the deepest point in North Holland with a height difference of ten metres between dyke and polder.
The last part of the walk takes in the wet Oosterkoog, an interesting nature reserve on the edge of the Markermeer, known for winter curlews and spring black-tailed godwits. Lapwings with their crests often fly playfully and the majestic mute swans change their feathers in summer, temporarily preventing them from flying.
The Twiske-Waterland recreation board has set up for the K...
A 'koog' or 'kaag' is a piece of land that originally lay outside the polders and was wet and swampy due to the lack of dykes and drainage. The Kogenroute starts in Oosthuizen and takes you past villages such as Beets and Schardam. Furthermore, the route leads past the Etersheimer breach, where clay was excavated to strengthen the sea dyke, resulting in the deepest point in North Holland with a height difference of ten metres between dyke and polder.
The last part of the walk takes in the wet Oosterkoog, an interesting nature reserve on the edge of the Markermeer, known for winter curlews and spring black-tailed godwits. Lapwings with their crests often fly playfully and the majestic mute swans change their feathers in summer, temporarily preventing them from flying.
The Twiske-Waterland recreation board has developed a route booklet for the Kogen and brakenroute. As you walk, you will find more information about the nature, culture and history of the area in the route booklet. For example, did you know that the church bell of the village of Beets was stored in another province during World War II? Or that the village of Etersheim has not always been at its current location? You can download the route booklet via the PDF file.
Important information:
- For this route, follow posts with different coloured markings/arrows. Check the specific route description on the website of Wandelnetwerk Noord-Holland.
- Between nodes 1, 18 and 50, you walk across farmland on this route. During the breeding season between 15 March and 15 June, these sections are closed. During this period, you can complete this route by walking from node 17 to 50.
- Dogs are not allowed on this route.
- This is a route of the Twiske-Waterland recreation board.
Tip: Do you encounter a defect along the way? Then report it very easily in the Wandelnetwerk Noord-Holland app or via www.meldpuntroutes.nl.
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Starting point
TOP Oosthuizen
Hoornse Jaagweg 1
1474 HM Oosthuizen
Navigate to starting point
TOP Oosthuizen
TOPs, short for Tourist Transfer Points, offer a convenient start to your exploration of the rural area. Each TOP provides parking facilities, after which you can explore the area by bike, on foot or even by boat
TOP Oosthuizen
TOPs, short for Tourist Transfer Points, offer a convenient start to your exploration of the rural area. Each TOP provides parking facilities, after which you can explore the area by bike, on foot or even by boat
On the information kiosks at each TOP you will find various routes that lead you to the most beautiful spots, peaceful surroundings and beautiful nature of Laag Holland. During your tour, you will pass surprising resting points and cosy catering establishments, and the TOPs show you the way to find them. You can recognise the TOPs by their green information columns.
Zeevang, the lowest point of North Holland, is an open peat meadow area with lots of water and historic villages such as Beets, Kwadijk and Warder. This peatland, diked in the 13th century, is characterised by elongated grasslands, narrow and wide ditches, meandering dykes and monumental cheese-cover farmhouses. Once plagued by floods from the Zuiderzee, it now harbours a peaceful, primal Dutch landscape. North Holland's lowest point is in the Etersheimbraak polder, six metres below sea level, within the Zeevang polder. The area is a paradise for meadow birds, with a special bird-watching wall in Warder where bird lovers can quietly observe.
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