North Holland: Marken, Edam, Hoorn and Alkmaar

Route description

Start with the Muiderslot, a moated castle 15 km east of Amsterdam at the mouth of the Vecht. Then take the dike road north through the Waterland meadows to Marken, a former island linked to the mainland by a causeway since 1957. Park at the entrance, as the village is car-free, and walk past the green wooden houses to the lighthouse known as the Horse of Marken, about 30 minutes away.

In summer a boat runs from Marken to Volendam, a busy fishing town with a long dike; by road it is 15 km on the N247. Edam, just north, is quieter and prettier, with drawbridges, an old weigh house and a cheese market on summer Wednesday mornings. Drive west into the Beemster, a polder drained in 1612 whose grid of straight roads and tree lines is on the UNESCO list.

Hoorn, 20 km north-east, was a base of the Dutch East India Company, and its harbour is still guarded by the round Hoofdtoren tower. A heritage steam tram runs from Hoorn to Medemblik, where you can return by boat to Enkhuizen. In Enkhuizen, the Zuiderzee Museum rebuilds the fishing villages of the old inland sea as an open-air museum.

Cross the peninsula west to Alkmaar, about 40 km, for the cheese market on the Waagplein, held on Friday mornings from April to September. Arrive by half past nine for a spot at the barriers. The region is flat and ideal by bike, and distances are short. Village parking is often limited for motorhomes, so use the town car parks and walk.