Katwoude: Polder, Cheese and Hotels

Katwoude combines a polder landscape with a tradition of cheese-making. The Eel Route runs along the edges of Katwoude’s old peat and cheese polder; Jacobs Hoeve is a cheese dairy in Katwoude on the Markermeerdijk. De Kathammer drains the Katwoude-Hogendijk polder. This gives your stay some specific themes: a circular walk, an insight into cheese-making and a windmill with a permanent role in the polder.

Walking the Eel Route

The Eel Route is a 16-kilometre circular walking trail along the edges of Katwoude’s old peat and cheese polder. For the most part, it follows the unpaved Hoge Dijk and Lage Dijk. When planning your walk, distance and surface are two separate considerations: the kilometre figure describes the length of the circuit, while the unpaved paths indicate the predominant surface. At Heitje van Katham, the route passes a small nature reserve. Crowberry, ling heather, bell heather and lavender heather grow there. The circular route thus connects the edges of the polder and named dikes with a specific natural setting. If you plan the walk as part of your stay, you can take both the length of the route and these landscape features into account.

De Kathammer and the polder

De Kathammer has a specific purpose: the windmill drains the Katwoude-Hogendijk polder. It was fully restored in 1988 and has been turning and milling regularly ever since. The mill therefore combines function and operation: its drainage role connects it to the polder’s water management, while its regular turning and milling have been part of its operation since the restoration. For travellers interested in the technical aspects of the landscape, this connection offers a specific point of interest.

Experience cheese-making at Jacobs Hoeve

Jacobs Hoeve is a cheese dairy run by Henri Willig in Katwoude on the Markermeerdijk. Staff dressed in traditional costume show visitors how cheese is made. Since 2018, it has also been possible to visit Henri Willig’s organic Jersey farm on a self-guided tour. The demonstration and tour offer different experiences: the demonstration focuses on cheese-making, while the tour is a visit to the farm. If you would like to see the production process, the demonstration focuses on exactly that; if you are interested in the organic Jersey farm, the self-guided tour is the main option.

Choose the focus of your stay

The activities differ according to what you would like to experience: the Eel Route offers a measured walking distance on predominantly unpaved paths; at Jacobs Hoeve, you can choose between a cheese-making demonstration and a farm visit; De Kathammer introduces you to polder drainage and mill operations. This lets you shape your stay around your interest in walking, cheese-making or the technical workings of the polder.

Discover more destinations: Zuiderwoude, Broek In Waterland, Purmer, Watergang, Monnickendam, Uitdam, Marken, Ilpendam

For the overall travel overview: Waterland.