Wandelnetwerk Noord-Holland

Halfweg is the place where many paths meet. First of all, of course, is the waterway. Until the reclamation of the Haarlemmermeer in 1852, this enormous inland lake was only separated from the IJ by the old Spaarndammerdijk with drainage locks and the Rijnland pumping station. In 1631, a barge canal was added and the first railway line followed two centuries later. People also travelled via the old Spaarndammerdijk and the Straatweg. This old traffic junction is a great spot to begin a walk. An interesting fact to keep in mind when in the Houtrak recreational area is that you are actually walking on the bottom of the IJ. Houtrak’s 50-year-old forest is now mature and is part of the much larger Spaarnwoude Park.

• The Zwanenburg route (blue) leads you through Zwanenburg and Halfweg. Along the way you will see the old sugar factory, the Zwanenburg walking park and the new park on the outskirts of the village. On the Amsterdam side of the ring canal you look out over the Osdorper Bovenpolder from the dike. In Halfweg, the eponymous steam pumping station with museum is the highlight.
• The Geuzenbos Walk (green) at Halfweg starts at the Houtrakkerweg. It is a walk best done wearing wellies or high-top walking shoes because the grass trail in the Geuzenbos is usually soaking wet. Cattle and horse hooves make a muddy mess of it, but it’s nice to cross this little piece of urban nature. The marshy plains are former silt fields where the sugar factory dumped the pulp after washing the beets.