Noord-Scharwoude: Walking Trails, Waterways and Cultural Heritage

When planning your trip to Noord-Scharwoude, there are several clear themes to choose from: marked circular walks, a water-shaped cultural landscape, church and industrial history, and local events. There is also a cycling route and a selection of leisure activities. Depending on whether you are interested in the landscape, architecture, remembrance or activities, you will find a range of specific places to start exploring.

Hiking, Cycling and Waterways

Several marked circular walks in the Alkmaar region’s walking trail network start from Noord-Scharwoude. The Koôlpad includes a short detour to the Verburg façade in Noord-Scharwoude. This gives you the choice of circular walks as well as a route with a specific architectural destination.

The area around Noord-Scharwoude, known as the “Rijk der Duizend Eilanden” (Kingdom of a Thousand Islands), developed as a fertile island landscape. Residents dug drainage and navigable canals and used the excavated mud to raise agricultural plots. Waterways and cultivated land have therefore both played a part in the history of this landscape.

The local navigable waterway network extends via connected canals and four bridges to the former auction grounds in Noord-Scharwoude. Near the Broeker Veiling Museum, visitors can rent a boat and travel through the last remaining part of the “Rijk der Duizend Eilanden.” A cycling route also leads from bicycle junction 91 in Noord-Scharwoude to the Geestmerambacht nature and recreation area. For your planning, you can choose between marked circular walks, a cycling route to a named destination, and a boat trip through the preserved part of the landscape.

Church Architecture and Industrial History

The Sint Jan de Doperkerk was built in 1905–1906 to a design by Petrus Bekkers and is an example of Neo-Gothic brick architecture. Its construction dates, architect and style give the church a specific historical and architectural context. The SintJansmuseum Kloosterhof is next to the church, on the second floor of the Kloosterhof.

Monumental façade remains of the former Noord-Hollandsche Conservenfabriek Peter Verburg still stand at Voorburggracht 301. The short detour to the Verburg façade on the Koôlpad thus leads to a named reminder of the area’s former industry.

Memorial Sites and Events

The Noord-Scharwoude war memorial is a bronze sculpture: a bull pierced by three arrows stands on a pedestal. The memorial commemorates members of the armed forces and resistance fighters who lost their lives fighting the occupying forces during the Second World War. A memorial service is held at the monument every year on 4 May.

The flea market is also an annual event, organized by the Oranjestichting at the playground on Charlotte de Bourbonstraat in Noord-Scharwoude. The bed races are another village spectacle. Runners push a partner in a bed on wheels around a course.

Other Local Activities

The Duikerdel leisure pool has a large slide, a bubble bench, water jets and a paddling pool for toddlers.

At Kramers Zuurkool, you can buy a small barrel of artisan-made organic sauerkraut as a regional specialty.

Discover more destinations: Broek Op Langedijk, Oudkarspel, Sint Pancras, Zuid-Scharwoude

Return to the main travel overview: Langedijk.