Starting point Broek op Langedijk

Broek op Langedijk is best known for the Broeker Veiling, the world’s first auction house. Vegetables were auctioned here between 1887 and 1973. It is the starting point for three walking routes.

• The Canal Path Route (yellow) is a short circular walk along surfaced paths and cycle paths along the Alkmaar (Omval)–Kolhorn Canal. The route also connects with the Sint Pancras starting point.

• The Thousand Islands Route (blue) takes you through the Realm of a Thousand Islands. This area was once home to over 15,000 small islands, created by dredging peat for fuel. When most of the ditches were filled in halfway through the last century, the islands disappeared too. Remnants of the old market-gardening landscape remain only in the southern section around Oosterdel Lake. Walk beside ditches and waterways, past villas, and along the grassy bank beside the Alkmaar (Omval)–Kolhorn Canal. The Broeker Veiling (1887–1973), which now houses Museum BroekerVeiling, can be seen from Dorpsstraat. No dogs allowed.

• The Eerstelingen Path (red) was developed by Tourism Langedijk and the Oneindig Noord-Holland Foundation. The route takes you around Oosterdel, the last remaining part of the Realm of a Thousand Islands. It is named after the Eersteling potato variety, which was grown in this area. A route booklet is available at Museum BroekerVeiling. No dogs allowed.