Pelgrims Path part 04

2026-05-30 17:00

Hiked part 4/27 of the Pelgrims Path, 16.3 kilometres from Aarlanderveen to Reeuwijk.

The four windmills of the Aarlanderveen four-mill complex, the only working four-mill complex in the world, drain the Drooggemaakte Polder on the Westzijde in Aarlanderveen. You might even hear a black-tailed godwit or a skylark singing by the Reeuwijkse Plassen in this bird-rich landscape.

Hike report

Brick village church with a tall stepped gable and small bell turret, bicycles parked at the front and a slender conifer to the left Wide green polder meadow with a narrow watercourse and a distant line of trees under a big sky streaked with cloud and contrails Black and white cows grazing in a green polder beside a ditch, with the windmills of the Aarlanderveen complex on the horizon Tall thatched windmill of the Aarlanderveen complex seen from below against a deep blue sky, a white fence at its base Calm canal reflecting the clouds, lily pads along the near bank and cattle grazing in the meadow beyond Mallard drake swimming across still water trailing a V-shaped ripple past lily pads and a grassy bank Quiet asphalt polder lane running straight ahead, cattle grazing in the meadow to the left and a reed-lined canal to the right Tall dark thatched windmill with a small house beside it, reflected in a canal with a wooden fence in the foreground Thatched windmill with a house at its foot and a second windmill in the distance, beside a broad green dyke under a blue sky Two windmills of the Aarlanderveen complex mirrored in a still canal, with a black barn and a leafy tree between them Black-tailed godwit in flight against a pale blue sky Grassy track running straight towards a windmill on the horizon, a reed-fringed canal alongside under a bright sky Wide green polder with a ditch cutting across it under a big sky scattered with cloud Grassy path between rough meadow and a reed-lined canal, yellow flowers and irises in the foreground Mute swan preening on a grassy bank, reflected in the still canal below, with a meadow and fence behind Coot swimming on calm blue water trailing ripples, lily pads and a single yellow water lily in the foreground Duck among lily pads and yellow water lilies at the reedy edge of a canal Two ducks and a goose resting on a grassy dyke beside a canal, with a windmill and houses in the distance Thatched windmill with its sails set, beside a reed-lined canal with houses and greenhouses behind and a broad grassy dyke leading towards it White sheep standing in long grass on a canal bank, looking towards the camera Barnacle goose with two fluffy goslings resting in lush green grass Goats grazing in a sunlit meadow, a tan goat in the foreground looking towards the camera Two mute swans on a grassy bank dotted with dandelions, one with a small cygnet beside it Broad tree-lined river with waterside houses under a cloudy sky, a paved path along the near bank Wide canal flanked by houseboats and houses, a gravel track and grassy verge along the left bank under a cloudy sky Thatched windmill with white-tipped sails beside a reed-lined canal, a small red-roofed house at its foot and a duck on the water Brick house with a thatched roof and a bronze elephant statue in a colourful garden beside a canal, a windmill in the distance Road entering Zwammerdam past the town name sign, with a canal and houses to the right under a grey sky Waterside gardens and houses across a canal with a church spire rising behind, red mooring buoys near the bank Weathered stone statue of a crouching woman on a brick quay beside a canal, a moored barge behind Canal lined with houses and trees seen from a bridge railing, mooring posts and a small boat along the far bank White-painted former church with a stepped gable and arched windows behind an ivy-covered hedge, a car parked to the left Quiet brick-paved village street with white and brick houses, a bench, and a church spire rising at the end Grand brick town house with a stepped gable and ornate dormer, set behind a tree on a brick-paved square Row of brick houses with a colourful graffiti mural on a low wall in a rough grassy clearing Long brick building behind two heavily pollarded willow trees, with cars parked alongside under a blue sky Green slurry tanker with a folded implement parked on a country lane beside a railway crossing Concrete underpass with a white retaining wall and railing, wildflowers and poppies on the grassy bank above Tree-lined country lane running straight through green farmland under a blue sky Straight ditch fringed with reeds and yellow water lilies cutting through wide green polder under a clear sky Wide polder meadow half freshly mown, with a reed-lined ditch on the left under a big blue sky Two black and white Holstein cows standing in a freshly mown meadow, looking towards the camera Overgrown path through tall grass and reeds towards a few trees, with greenhouses in the distance Narrow grassy path tunnelling through dense green trees and hedges Paved path winding between trees and tall grass beside open meadow under a bright sky Reed-fringed ditch running straight across wide polder towards distant greenhouses under a big sky Canal curving past a stand of trees with open meadow beyond and lily pads in the foreground House half hidden among willow trees beside a canal, a small footbridge crossing the water and reeds in the foreground Dark-clad house with a steep roof among trees on the far bank of a calm canal, mirrored in the still water under a cloudy sky Canal running straight into the distance, a house with a tall conifer on the left bank and a reed-fringed meadow with a small jetty on the right Wide flat polder meadow stretching to a low tree-lined horizon under a broad sky of broken cloud Paved path running alongside a reed-lined ditch through open meadow under a blue sky scattered with cloud Broad calm canal reflecting the sky, a paved path along the right bank with lily pads and reeds in the foreground Cracked tarmac lane running through polder beside a reed-lined canal, houses and trees to the right under a cloudy sky Canal bend overhung by trees with a small jetty and moored boat, lily pads in the foreground and a paved path on the right Black ewe and black lamb standing in grass at the water's edge, with lily pads and yellow water lilies behind Broad reed-fringed waterway reflecting the clouds, with open polder and a distant tree line under a bright sky Large herd of red and white cows grazing in a green meadow with farm buildings behind House with a tiled roof and garden on the left bank of a broad canal, open polder and a distant tree line beyond under a blue sky Country road entering Oud-Reeuwijk past the green town name sign, with open meadow on the right under a partly cloudy sky Two brick houses with stepped gables behind a clipped hedge at the water's edge, lily pads spreading across the canal in the foreground Brick farmhouse beside a willow tree with a large flowering pink rhododendron in the garden, lily pads on the canal in the foreground Roundabout on the edge of Reeuwijk with an abstract metal sculpture at its centre and direction signs in the foreground