Holland-Cycling.com is an internet guide to cycling in Holland. We do not organise cycling holidays ourselves. To help you on your way, we made a selection of the most popular cycling holidays offered by Dutch tour operators. The information on this page is provided by the tour operator.

A scenic lesson in Dutch history

IJsselmeer is the name of the large lake created when the Dutch cut the Zuiderzee off from the North Sea with a closure dike. This step was taken to put a stop to the sea flooding towns on the Zuiderzee. Once the dike was in place (1932), the sea had become a lake. Fresh water from the River IJssel gradually replaced the seawater.

Southern Lake IJssel Tour

Tour operator: Dutch Bike Tours
Type of holiday: self-guided
Luggage transport: included
Accommodation: hotel
Number of days: 7 days
Price: from €724

Because there was a shortage of arable land, it was decided to create four polders in the south eastern part of IJsselmeer. The third polder was finished in 1968 but the fourth, in Lake Markermeer, was never drained after protests from the environmental movement and water sports enthusiasts.

On this tour you will visit a number of historical harbour towns and villages which were important in the days of the Zuiderzee. Furthermore, you will ride your bike onto the polder where you can see how land use planners laid out the new land. You will also cycle 30 km over the dike separating Lake Markermeer from Lake IJsselmeer and connecting Flevopolder to the town of Enkhuizen.

Southern Lake IJssel Tour photo nr. 1
Southern Lake IJssel Tour photo nr. 1

The information on this page has been provided by the tour operator. Please check the tour operator's website for the most up-to-date information.

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