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Overamstel Starting Point 31 afbeelding

foto 2 KP paal Amstelland

Routes from this starting point

Boot Path Route (purple)
Unpaved path (partly) No dogs allowed Closed during bird breeding season
3.61km
Klarenbeekroute (orange)
Unpaved path (partly) No dogs allowed Closed during bird breeding season
4.61km
Smientroute (yellow)
Unpaved path (partly) No dogs allowed Closed during bird breeding season
3.26km
kaart startpunt Overamstel 2021   (2101 kb)

The former Groot and Klein Duivendrechtsepolder is located in the Amstelscheg, an open area surrounded by buildings and roads, which has been deliberately kept open to provide residents with a green area close to home. In around 1600, the polder was split because the Klein Duivendrechtse polder was used for peat extraction while the Groot Duivendrechtse polder was not. Both polders were formerly known as meadow bird areas. To help halt the declining number of meadow birds, many walking and cycling paths are now closed during the breeding season. Hopefully, providing some peace during the breeding season will ensure that the godwits and lapwings return in droves.

  • When on the Laarzenpad Groot-Duivendrecht or Boot Path Route (purple) it becomes obvious how marshy the underlying peat soil is - you will definitely need your boots here! In the Middle Ages rye and buckwheat were grown here, but drainage caused the soil to subside and the land became so wet that it was soon only suitable for livestock farming.
  • The Klarenbeekroute (orange) leads along the Klarenbeek farm, which originally dates from the 17th-century but its present form is probably around two centuries old. Nowadays it is a care farm. There are still many old farms along this part of the Amstel, such as Oranjevelt, which is located a few hundred metres further north.
  • The Smientroute (yellow) crosses the Amstel with a ferry and runs through the Amstelpark, which houses an Orangery, a municipal rose garden, a Rhododendron Valley and a Dahliarama garden.

Note: In April and September, the ferry only sails on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (Noon - 6 pm) and then daily from May to August (Noon - 6 pm).