Garden Route
This water-rich area of Friesland has more to offer than just water. The route takes you through beautiful nature reserves, gardens, forests, and landscapes. Along the way, there are various opportunities to take a break and enjoy the surroundings or relax at a terrace.
Gardens and forests
You'll pass by the largest elm garden in Europe, the Heemtuin at the Mar en Klif visitor center, and the Butterfly Garden in Lemmer. After Sloten, you'll enter the beautiful landscape of Gaasterland. Here, you'll be surrounded by various forests, including the Bremer Wildernis, Lycklamabos, and Bos Elfbergen.
Bell-cots
You'll also encounter several bell-cots along the route. These are structures of thick wooden or iron beams in which one or more bells are hung. You'll find almost 30 of them in the entire Southwest Friesland region.
E-bike route
The rout…
This water-rich area of Friesland has more to offer than just water. The route takes you through beautiful nature reserves, gardens, forests, and landscapes. Along the way, there are various opportunities to take a break and enjoy the surroundings or relax at a terrace.
Gardens and forests
You'll pass by the largest elm garden in Europe, the Heemtuin at the Mar en Klif visitor center, and the Butterfly Garden in Lemmer. After Sloten, you'll enter the beautiful landscape of Gaasterland. Here, you'll be surrounded by various forests, including the Bremer Wildernis, Lycklamabos, and Bos Elfbergen.
Bell-cots
You'll also encounter several bell-cots along the route. These are structures of thick wooden or iron beams in which one or more bells are hung. You'll find almost 30 of them in the entire Southwest Friesland region.
E-bike route
The route is 63 km long and therefore very suitable for e-bikes. You can start the route at the VVV Waterland in Friesland in Joure, or at the VVV in Lemmer or Oudemirdum. If you find the route too long for a day trip, consider turning it into a two-day trip by staying overnight along the way. Our website offers various options for booking accommodations.
Ferry
You'll cross the water once with a ferry. Bring cash with you just in case.
Sights on this route
Tourist Information Joure
The Tourist Information in Joure is located in a beautiful monumental building on Midstraat 99. At this unique location you will find the Museum Joure next to the VVV with a coffee room, an antiquity room and the museum shop De Witte Os.
Tourist Information Joure
Tourist Information Joure
VVV Joure, bij Museum Joure
Midstraat 99
8501 AH Joure
Iepenarboretum
In Joure, along the old road to Sneek and at the exit of the A6 Joure-West, you can find the largest elm garden (elm arboretum) of Europe.
Langweerder Wielen (Langwarder Wielen)
The Langweerder Wielen is located to the west of Joure.
Langweer
Langweer is a true watersports destination. From this centrally located village in the Frisian lake area, you can sail in all directions.
Osinga State
The Osinga State is a stately house opposite the church in Langweer, consisting of multiple residential floors, tall windows, and an imposing entrance staircase.
Langweer Church
Several churches have stood on this site. The first was built at the start of the 13th century and destroyed by a fire in 1517. The bell tower church that stands here today was built in 1777.
Legemeer Bell Tower
The bell tower in the village of Legemeer stands in a graveyard surrounded by a canal. The bell tower we see today is a replica of the original bell tower built in 1720, which was destroyed by an autumn storm in 1972.
Sloten (Sleat)
Sloten (or Sleat as we say in Friesland) is the smallest Elfsteden town in Friesland. This walled mini-city is also called sipelstêd (Frisian for onion city) thanks to the unique shape of an onion.
11Fountains Sloten
The ‘Peewit’ shows a girl standing on the shoulders of a man. She holds a bird in her hand. Under the man’s feet a disheveled pile of buckets, jerry cans and barrels form the base of the fountain.
Vaste Burchtkerk Fortress Church
The substantial tower of this church rises proudly above the Van Coehoorn forest, which is named after the strategist and fortress builder Menno Van Coehoorn, who is buried in a spectacular mausoleum in the church.
Gaasterlands Streek Museum Eppinga Sate
Museum with an old 'farm ark' in a beautiful farmhouse.
Gaasterlands Streek Museum Eppinga Sate
Gaasterlands Streek Museum Eppinga Sate
Jacobus Boomsmastraat 52
8565 GJ Sondel
Bremer Wildernis
The Bremer Wildernis is located in Gaasterland, near Nijemirdum, and borders the Lycklamabos and Starnumanbossen forests.
Lycklamabos - Nijemirdum
The ancient Lycklamabos is located in Gaasterland.
Bos Elfbergen - Oudemirdum
Bos Elfbergen is the largest forest in Gaasterland.
Fountain Church
The Fountain Church is a Dutch Reformed church in the charming little village of Oudemirdum. It was built in 1790 on the foundations of a 13th-century tuff stone church. The second nave on the north side of the church was added in 1926.
Oudemirdum
Oudemirdum is a charming village located amidst the forests of Southwest Friesland in the Gaasterland region.
Mar en Klif Visitor Center
In the visitor centre, you will discover many aspects of National Landscape Southwest Fryslân
Heemtuin - Mar & Klif
Visitor centre Mar en Klif has a beautiful, small botanical garden.
Heemtuin - Mar & Klif
Heemtuin - Mar & Klif
Bezoekerscentrum Mar & Klif
De Brink 4
8567 JD Oudemirdum
Sondeler Leien Nature Reserve
The Sondeler Leien nature reserve is in Gaasterland. The small inland lake here probably formed when the waters of the former Zuiderzee broke through the dikes.
Sondelerleien - De Sondeler Leijen - Vogelkijkhut
Rietvogels en weidevogels.
Sondelerleien - De Sondeler Leijen - Vogelkijkhut
Sondelerleien - De Sondeler Leijen - Vogelkijkhut
De Leijen
8565 Sondel
Lemmer Beach
Lemmer Beach (also known as Lemsterstrand) is on the east shore of Lake IJsselmeer.
Vlindertuin Lemmer
Butterfly Garden Lemmer is a ‘strúntún’ (wander garden) in an urban area.
Eesterga Bell Tower and Graveyard with Mausoleum
The surrounding tall trees make it easy to cycle straight past. But it is worth stopping to see this listed bell tower and graveyard with a mausoleum.
Eesterga Bell Tower and Graveyard with Mausoleum
Eesterga Bell Tower and Graveyard with Mausoleum
Straatweg 3
8535 WG Eesterga
Follega Bell Tower
The Follega bell tower stands in a small round graveyard. It has a four-sided dome roof and houses a bell that is 78 cm in diameter, which was cast by P. van den Ghein in 1596.
Doniaga Bell Tower
The Doniaga bell tower stands on a raised graveyard surrounded by trees. The bell tower houses a swinging bell cast by Aernt Butendiic in 1460.
Sint Nicolaasga (Sint Nyk)
Sint Nicolaasga is a village situated amidst the woods, the Tjeukemeer, and the Langweerder Wielen.
St Nicholas Church in Sint Nicolaasga
The Roman Catholic parish church in the village of Sint Nicolaasga is dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra. The church is a neo-Gothic cruciform basilica built in 1887 according to plans prepared by the Frisian architect Jan Doedes van der Weide.
St Nicholas Church in Sint Nicolaasga
St Nicholas Church in Sint Nicolaasga
Kerkstraat 12
8521 JZ Sint Nicolaasga
Dairy Scharsterbrug
In Scharsterbrug, a large dairy factory called the Maatschappij Hollandia was built at the end of the 19th century.
Tourist Information Joure
The Tourist Information in Joure is located in a beautiful monumental building on Midstraat 99. At this unique location you will find the Museum Joure next to the VVV with a coffee room, an antiquity room and the museum shop De Witte Os.
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