Sloop network
The harbour lies directly on the North Holland sloop network, the 'sloepennetwerk' (junction 17). Use the network's app or website to plan your route: www.sloepennetwerk.nl
Route Schagen - Amsterdam
Waterways: the Schagerkanaal (Stolpen - Kolhorn), with opening bridges between Schagen and De Stolpen and fixed bridges towards Kolhorn (clearance 2.50 metres), and the Noordhollandsch Kanaal (Den Helder - Amsterdam), with opening bridges and locks.
Along the way to Amsterdam
Schagen: the main town of the Noordkop for entertainment, leisure and shopping, with the weekly market on the Gedempte Gracht every Thursday, Slot Schagen castle with the tourist office, the farm and carriage museum Vreeburg, and the Marktplein with its renowned terraces. The Popweekend, on the first weekend of August, is one of the highlights of the year. Kolhorn: a picturesque former fishing village on the West Frisian ring dike, largely a protected village view. In summer it is known for its three Night Markets, when market stalls line the whole village like a long ribbon, lit up like a fairy tale after dark. You can take a round trip in an original Langedijker Rondkont or a short sailing trip across the Kolhornerdiep. Heerhugowaard: originally a polder village, now a town of over fifty thousand inhabitants. In the modern town centre you will find Middenwaard, the largest covered shopping centre in North Holland, plus restaurants, bowling, a cinema and the Cool theatre. It is also a fine base for cycling and walking, such as the Stolpenroute past monumental old farmhouses: www.havenbroekhorn.nl Alkmaar: the cheese city. From April to September, the cheese carriers set to work on the Waagplein every Friday morning; visitors from all over the world come to watch the world-famous cheese market. Purmerend: a town that grew through market trade, once with cheese, sheep, fish, horse, calf, vegetable and poultry markets. Purmerend is still known as a market town; the big Tuesday market draws many visitors, and themed markets are held throughout the year. Monnickendam: the Grote Kerk, a three-aisled hall church with an oak choir screen almost ten metres wide, is the town's most striking building and can be visited from mid May to the end of September. The Waterland museum De Speeltoren has plenty to discover, including the 500-year-old carillon barrel at the top of the tower. Edam: a cheese town with a rich history, founded in the 12th century on the little river IJe. The high-season cheese markets and the cheese warehouses keep the memory of that past alive; shipbuilding also contributed to the town's prosperity. Zaandam: created in 1811 from Oostzaandam and Westzaandam and elevated to town status by Napoleon as of 1 January 1812. An industrial town on the river Zaan from the earliest days; in the Golden Age the Zaan region was a vast mill district, where thousands of windmills sawed timber for shipbuilding and the paper industry. The coat of arms of Zaanstad recalls the whaling era with its two whales.
Route Schagen - Medemblik
Waterways: the Schagerkanaal (Stolpen - Kolhorn; 9.0 kilometres, sailing time about 1 hour 17 minutes), with opening bridges between Schagen and De Stolpen and fixed bridges to Kolhorn (maximum clearance 2.50 metres), and the Westfriesevaart (Kolhorn - Medemblik; 16.4 kilometres, sailing time about 2 hours 21 minutes), with fixed bridges to Medemblik (maximum 2.50 metres).
Along the way to Medemblik
Schagen (junction 17) and Kolhorn (86-87): see the descriptions above. Middenmeer (88): after the Zuiderzee was drained, the Wieringermeer polder was created; Middenmeer was one of the first places made habitable after the dike from Medemblik to Den Oever was closed in 1929. The village has a still-growing shopping centre and varied industry; the Robbenoordbos and Dijkgatsbos woods are close by. Medemblik (7): the oldest town in West Friesland, whose Regatta Center is a water sports venue of international standing. Beautiful yachts and historic vessels of the brown fleet moor in the modern harbours of the historic town centre. The town has many museums: Kasteel Radboud castle, dating from the end of the 13th century, the Bakery Museum and the Steam Pumping Station. Medemblik is also a stop on the steam tram from Hoorn to Medemblik. More information: www.stadshavensmedemblik.nl