Guided bike tour through the hidden Oer-IJ | August 29, September 12 & October 3, 2026

How often does it happen that you cycle past something without having any idea what you're actually seeing?

Unfortunately, quite often.

A dike is a dike. A ditch is a ditch. And the North Sea Canal is simply there because it's there.

Until someone drives alongside you and tells you that you are currently driving through a landscape where millennia of history are hidden.

Therefore, the Stichting Oer-IJ is organizing a guided bicycle tour of approximately 30 kilometers on Saturday, August 29, September 12, and October 3. The occasion is the 150th anniversary of the North Sea Canal, but the history you will discover along the way begins much earlier.

Wait a minute... there used to be a river flowing here?

Yes.

The North Sea Canal largely follows the course of the old Proto-IJ, a peat river that once flowed towards Castricum and silted up around the beginning of our era.

Then they've probably disappeared. Or so you'd think.

But those who know where to look can still recognize the traces in the landscape. And that's precisely why you should take this guidebook with you.

Things I would probably just drive past

Along the way, you'll hear stories about old dike breaches, country houses on the former Wijckermeer, and even about the Romans and their fortresses. The guide will show you where the ancient IJ river has left its mark even today.

That's exactly what I like about such trips.

You cycle to a place you think you know, and come back thinking: How could I have overlooked this all this time?

The route

The bike tour is about 30 kilometers long. You start on the north side of the Velserpont and cycle past various places where stories are told, and back to the ferry in Buitenhuizen.

Practical information

Dates: Saturday, August 29, Saturday, September 12 and Saturday, October 3, 2026

Distance: approximately 30 kilometers

Start: North side of Velserpont

Organization: Oer-IJ Foundation

Further information and the registration option can be found at Stichting Oer-IJ: https://www.oerij.eu/agenda/

5 facts I *really* like

1. They cycle along the North Sea Canal, but for the most part follow a river that disappeared about two thousand years ago.

2. This perfectly ordinary little dike, which one usually drives past without a second thought? It turns out that a centuries-old history may be hidden behind it.

3. As it turns out, the Romans also left their mark here. And no, I would never have guessed that on a bike tour.

4. The best thing about this trip, in my opinion, is that you don't have to look for signs: someone rides by on a bicycle who knows where to look.

5. Warning: After this trip, you will probably find it much harder to just ride your bike without thinking.

Are you staying at Boutique Stay Uitgeest? Then this bike tour is a great way to discover the area in a completely different way.

Check out our other tips and events in the Boutique Stay Uitgeest events calendar .