Bike rental Ouwerkerk

Zierikzee, Serooskerke Schouwen, Kerkwerve

Zeeland is wonderful for cycling. With its stretched landscape, beautiful scenery and small villages, it is the perfect destination for two travelers. Be sure to keep an eye on the birds, they are sure to be found here on the coast. In the area on the coast of the Oosterschelde. The area from Ouwerkerk to the Oosterscheldekering is so loved by birds that it is also well known as the ‘Bird Boulevard of Zeeland’.

Even in winter there is a pleasant seedling of varieties here. Birds that breed in Northern and Eastern Europe in the summer overwinter on the Zeeland coast. Other types that you can meet with great luck are, for example, the snowstorms and the iceberg. We can say with some certainty that you will see them on your route when there are smudges, blizzards, clods and burning wholes! We have linked three viewing points on this cycle route so that you are assured of special discoveries and unique birds. Because here you can observe the birds in silence without disturbing them. What more does an eagle want?

Zierikzee, Ouwerkerk, Serooskerke

“They were all on those roofs, just a little above the water.” (Wim Schot, Zierikzee. The Story, Flood Museum)

A north-northwesterly storm developed in the Atlantic Ocean in the days before the Flood. A strong driving wind with a force of 11 to 12 pushed the water towards the Pas de Calais. On January 31, the KNMI issues a warning for all coastal areas: a severe storm is approaching with ‘dangerous high tides’. Because the water at the Nauw de Calais has nowhere to go, it looks for an exit in the direction of Zeeland. Instead of taking immediate action, dozens of people just look at the impressive weather. However, the water no longer recedes during low tide and the water only rises higher with each high tide.

The Flood Museum is located in Ouwerkerk, in a caisson that was used to close the power hole from the disaster night. In the museum you can read all about the disaster: what preceded it and how it should be prevented in the future. The victims are given a name and commemorated through an impressive work of art.

Zierikzee, Neeltje Jans

Many ships used to bear the name ‘Neeltje Jans’, just like the sandbar in the Oosterschelde. But why this name? Discover it during this bike tour. You cycle from Zierikzee over the Zeeland Bridge to Noord-Beveland, where you cross the Zeeland countryside on your way to Deltawerk Neeltje Jans.

In ancient times, people believed in the patron goddess Nehalennia. The goddess is said to protect travelers such as seafarers and traders. That could well explain why many altars for this goddess have been found at the mouth of the Oosterschelde near Colijnsplaat and Domburg. The name Nehalennia has been corrupted over the years to Neeltje Jans. To be blessed, many sailors gave their ship the name Neeltje Jans. Also the ship that, despite its name, ran aground on a sandbank. The work island for the storm surge barrier was eventually built on the same sandbank, which was of course given the name Neeltje Jans.

Now it is an information center and nature reserve, a joint project of Het Zeeuwse Landschap and Natuurmonumenten. In this project, the nature reserves are restored in such a way that they look as they did in the past. This gives meadow, marsh and coastal birds plenty of space again. This cycle route is ideal for bird watchers!