Starting Point Van Ewijcksluis

The largest lock in the Anna Paulowna polder is named after Daniël van Ewijck, a provincial governor of Noord-Holland who promoted the reclamation of the polder (1845–1846). A state-of-the-art steam pumping station that drained excess water from the Westpolder stood along the Van Ewijcksvaart, beside what is now the N249. Vessels could sail directly onto the Zuiderzee through the large lock; the Korte Afsluitdijk had not yet been built. The first inhabitants of this lock-side settlement lived as polder workers and fishermen. The latter fished not only for anchovy and herring, but also for seaweed in summer, which was dried and used as filling for cushions and mattresses. The settlement included a smithy, a small shipyard, a bakery and a combined café and general store. A mail boat to Wieringen departed from the ferry house. From 1912, the steam tram arrived from Wieringerwaard and Schagen, but after the construction of the Afsluitdijk, both the mail boat and the tram disappeared. Plans for the long-desired Zuiderzee railway line to Harlingen were also abandoned during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Bus and car transport took over.

• The blue Oude Veer Route from Van Ewijcksluis runs along polder paths, through the Kruiszwin nature area (a former tidal creek) and the historic Poldertuin to Kleine Sluis, the main village of Anna Paulowna. The route is waymarked in both directions with blue arrows.

• The green Oostpolder Route from Van Ewijcksluis runs around this fertile clay polder, along the Amsteldijk, Oostdijk and Noorddijk. The route is waymarked in both directions with green arrows.