The Oudorperpolder is a nature area in Oudorp with extensive meadows and distinctive mills. At the same time, Munnikenweg, the mills and the churches tell different sides of the area’s history. If you are looking for a holiday rental for a stay in Oudorp, you can decide whether to devote your time mainly to walks and cycling trips or to its architectural and historical traces.
Nature and Paths in Oudorp
The Oudorperpolder nature area is used by walkers, cyclists and nature lovers. Oudorperhout City Park lies between the Hoornsevaart and Munnikenweg in Alkmaar/Oudorp. This means that in Oudorp you will find both open meadowland and a city park with a clearly defined location between a waterway and a road.
Oudorp is a starting point for marked circular walks in the Alkmaar region’s walking network. The Red Route is a short circular walk through Oudorperhout near Alkmaar. Route details may change; check the current route before setting out.
For road cyclists, the cobbled Munnikenweg has long been a sporting challenge. This describes a specific characteristic of the road and adds to the broader picture of the Oudorperpolder, which is also used by cyclists.
Historic Traces along Munnikenweg
Since 8 December 2018, Munnikenweg has been a municipal monument. De Nieuwburg Castle stood on its northern side, and De Middelburg Castle on its southern side. In the past, Munnikenweg provided Floris V’s troops with a safe crossing between the castles of Torenburg and Middelburg. Its former function and its later designation as a monument give the road two distinct historical associations.
The main castle and the moat structure are still clearly visible in the ground on the site of De Middelburg Castle. De Nieuwburg Castle stood on the other side of Munnikenweg, to the north of it. These two location references help put the castles’ historic positions in relation to one another and to the road into context.
Mills and Landscape History
Molen D is part of a group originally consisting of six mills, built around 1630; four mills from the group have survived. Molen C is one of the four surviving mills and the only operational mill in this group. Both details make the surviving mills a special part of Oudorp’s landscape and architectural history.
The Ambachtsmolen stands in the De Leedjes nature area, next to the Kippenbrug in Oudorp. Guided tours are available there, along with a small museum in the mill’s attic. Dates and times may vary; check them before your visit.
Churches and Local History
De Terp was built on the remains of earlier churches at the raised end of a beach ridge. The church hall is suitable for concerts and rehearsals by choirs and instrumentalists. Here, architectural history and the hall’s present-day use sit side by side.
From 1658, Oudorp’s clandestine church stood in a grove on the northern edge of the village, some distance from Herenweg. Archaeologists found a few remains of the vanished church on the western edge of the lawn. The Kerkenbos is a grove belonging to the Catholic church complex of St. Laurentius in Oudorp. The tower of Sint Laurentiuskerk is 48 metres high.
Discover more destinations: Driehuizen, Koedijk, Schermerhorn, Alkmaar, Stompetoren.
Go to the main travel overview: Alkmaar.
