Between Medemblik and Den Oever, the landscape looks very different. Here you cycle through the Wieringermeerpolder, the only true Zuiderzee polder. It was drained in 1930, before the Afsluitdijk existed. Near Den Oever, you pass through the first of the few patches of forest on this route. The Dijkgatbos was planted after the Germans blew two holes in the dike of the newly constructed polder just before their retreat in 1945.
Via the Dutch masterpiece of water management, the Afsluitdijk, you leave North Holland soil and set course for Friesland. From Den Oever, it is a 32-kilometer straight bike ride along the Afsluitdijk. Boring? It is unique in the Netherlands. To the left is the Wadden Sea, the largest tidal area in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To the right is the now fresh water of the former Zuiderzee. And then the Zuiderzee Works also included major land reclamation projects.
The first Frisian village you cycle through is Makkum. In the past, this village was also known as the 'Gateway to the Zuiderzee'. Merchants from Bolsward used the port of Makkum in the 17th century to trade with countries around the North Sea and Scandinavia. Many mansions, the weigh house, and stately warehouses in Makkum date from that time.