Holiday apartment in Uitdam – Water, dike and history

Uitdam combines a watery landscape, dike history and an unusual local history within a compact area. The village was built on a dam and is surrounded by water on all sides, giving Uitdam an island-like character. Its origins date back to the 13th century: at that time, the village was created by building a dam where a small peat river flowed into the Zuiderzee.

Between the Waterland Landscape and the Dike

The Waterland region features a green, water-rich landscape with low meadows, ponds, long ditches, winding dikes, bridges, cows, reeds, farmhouses and old villages. The low meadows open up the view, while ditches, reeds and bridges structure the watery landscape. Farmhouses and old villages add rural accents. This combination provides a distinctive setting for walks and cycling tours: the scenery alternates between open grassland, waterways and rural development.

A paved shared walking and cycling path runs along the crest of the narrow Uitdammerdijk. Within Uitdam, the cycle path follows the road; south of the village, the route returns to the dike. From the dike crest, you can follow the route on foot or by bike. This change in the route is a clear point of reference when planning a cycling tour between the village and the dike.

Cycling Route, Water and Reeds

The Aandammerroute can be started in Uitdam. Outside the villages, it leads through narrow agricultural ditches lined with reeds that provide shelter for reed birds. In this way, route planning combines with an experience of the landscape, with waterways and waterside vegetation taking center stage. From Uitdam, the route therefore leads into the water-dominated landscape outside the villages.

Church, Monuments and Maritime Past

A prominent cultural landmark is the Hervormde Kerk Uitdam. It was built in 1937 behind the former Zuiderzee dike as a replacement for a wooden church dating from 1844, and it is a municipal monument. The dike near Uitdam is also a provincial monument. The church and dike thus represent two different aspects of the village: sacred architectural history in the village and the dike's defining importance for the landscape.

Uitdam's history also includes a remarkable maritime activity. The inhabitants of Uitdam built large ship camels, which were filled with ballast water to lift ships over sandbanks. A ship camel was not an animal, but a technical aid for ships.

B&B Waterland is a rest stop for visitors at Rijperweg 4, 1154 PN Uitdam. Together with the paved path on the Uitdammerdijk, the cycle path through the village and the option to start the Aandammerroute, it provides clear guidance for planning your day.

More Places for Your Travel Planning

More destinations: Purmer, Broek In Waterland, Zuiderwoude, Ilpendam, Marken, Watergang, Monnickendam, Katwoude.

To the overarching travel overview: Waterland.