Routes · Friesland, between Sneek and Grou
Friesland lakes
Sails on the horizon, tiny ferries and villages where the church is the tallest thing for miles.
Friesland is water country, and the best way to see the lakes is from the lanes between them. Leave Sneek along the Houkesloot and you are at the Sneekermeer within twenty minutes, usually with a regatta or at least a dozen sails on it.
Terherne is the first crossing point, a holiday village on a strip of land between two lakes. From there the route runs north to Grou, a proper small town with a harbour, then loops back through Jirnsum.
Two little ferries shorten the way in summer. They are pedal- or hand-operated and run only from May to September; outside those months the route has a signposted detour of a few kilometres.
A junction sequence we have used
Numbers repeat between regions, so this string only means something on the map panels near Sneek waterfront. Check it against the panel at the first junction before you set off.
Where to stop
- km 15Terherneharbour café between the lakes
- km 28Groutown square and the old church
- km 40Jirnsumbench on the Boarn
Dike roads are shared with farm traffic and, in summer, with a lot of other cyclists. Ride single file where the path is narrow and give way at the small ferries.