Where’s my OV-chipcard

Today we decided to do something different. Rather than just going for a walk, we’re heading somewhere and taking the bus back. At home I ask Adriaan four times if he’s got his face mask, and of course he has.

As we step out of the car in Monnickendam to start our trip, I tease: ‘Did you bring your bus card? Of course not—four face masks but no OV-chip card. It’s always something with us and those cards. The last time we did a similar trip, I lost my card along the way and had to arrange a new one over the phone.

Anyway, we’re heading out. We’ll just order an Uber, or buy a ticket on the bus if that’s still possible these days.

Monnickendam is such a lovely place.

We think Monnickendam is far more enjoyable than Volendam and honestly don’t get why so many tourists go there. The only fun thing in Volendam is the boat to Marken. Well, that’s not completely fair—more about that later.

We’ve already been to Monnickendam a few times, so we’re not doing the usual walk. To keep the route short, we just walk straight and occasionally wander into a side street for some photos. The funny part is that we’re now passing through a street we’ve never explored before.

On our way to Katwoude

We quickly leave the charming town behind and reach a busy road, where construction is underway at the pumping station. I can’t help but think—what have I come up with this time? Luckily, after about 400 meters on the bike path we’re able to turn right towards Katwoude.

At the Irene Hoeve you can turn right onto the Grasdijk, and of course we do, because if you walk below on the asphalt you don’t see anything. The mud isn’t too bad, but our shoe soles do get very dirty.

The Irene Hoeve

We head first to the Irene Hoeve. It’s such a charming spot, with a rack of clogs out front and an old bus. Chickens and even a peacock roam the yard. The kind owner steps outside to invite us in, offering apple pie, toasties, and cheese. We both reply the same way: we’re actually on a walk. Later I regret not going in, but once I’ve started walking I just want to continue.

Searching for the Katwoude tea garden.

Last year the owner of the Katwoude tea garden responded to one of our Instagram posts, asking if we would like to visit her tea garden sometime. At home I had already looked up the menu and promised Adriaan scones. We don’t see any sign indicating the tea garden, and without realizing it we walk right past. Ah well, we were too early anyway—the tea garden doesn’t open until 10 o’clock.

Theetuin Katwoude is er niet meer, het is permanent gesloten.

Walking along the IJsselmeer

If you don’t like walking for a long time along the water, this route isn’t for you. We do, but we had imagined it differently: a mirror-like water surface without waves and a sky full of clouds. Instead, today the sky is clear blue and the water is rough, stirred up by a strong wind. I had figured we’d have the wind behind us, but once we turn a bend, southeast means a long stretch facing it.

We’ve got fresh heads, at least. Adriaan counters: ‘Cold heads, you mean’.

After 2.5 kilometers the path bends to the left and finally we have the wind at our backs. Since we missed the tea garden and didn’t go inside at the Irene Hoeve, I have to slip into the reeds to pee. The descent to the water is quite steep and I almost fall off the dike. Adriaan thinks it’s nonsense and walks easily down to the water

Did I already mention how much I regret not going inside at the Irene Hoeve?

About ducks and a vicious circle

The IJsselmeer is full of wigeons, cormorants, and geese.Today they’re so far awaythat without binoculars they’re just specks on the water. Fortunately, there’s still plenty to enjoy on the other side—like a hare skipping along.

It seems the geese also use the dike we’re walking on, judging by all the droppings. Adriaan jokes: ‘If you’re not careful you’ll slip on the goose poop and end up nose-first in a molehill.

Ondertussen lopen we lekker door. We hebben al zicht op Volendam en met wind mee is het zelfs lekker warm. Waardoor ik weer dorst krijg en we moeten stoppen om even wat te drinken. Adriaan vindt mij een vicieuze cirkel, omdat als ik geplast heb ook weer moet drinken. Volgens mij is dat heel gewoon voor mensen met een normale spijsvertering.

We continue on, enjoying the walk. Volendam is already in sight, and with the wind behind us it even feels pleasantly warm. That makes me thirsty again, so we stop for a drink. Adriaan calls me a vicious circle, since whenever I’ve peed I immediately need to drink again. To me that’s just normal for anyone with a healthy digestion.

Down on the road two cyclists are heading from Volendam towards Katwoude. I hear them speaking Volendams and say: ‘They’re from Volendam.’ Adriaan replies dryly: ‘I can see that.’ I heard it, but of course he knows what I mean.

Marinapark Volendam

We spot the Kathammer Mill from a distance, but as we approach the route markers direct us to the right, and this time we skip the detour. We stroll through Volendam’s marina, admiring the Roompot park—or perhaps it’s a Landal park.

As I walk around, I actually feel quite at home. Could this park have been designed by Soeters? The architect who turned Zaandam into one big Zaanse Schans. It’s a nice park, and you can even rent a kind of houseboat here. For me it’s a bit too close to home, but I can imagine that people who live farther away would book a cottage here.

On Instagram we had seen photos of a row of houses with a windmill in the background, but no matter how much we looked around, we couldn’t find it. Only when we were almost leaving the park did we finally see the houses with the windmill. It meant another detour, but we were happy to make it for that photo.

Oystercatchers were walking around near the houses, which made a nice change from the usual squirrels. After quite a while—since a long-exposure photo had to be taken—we continued our walk towards the center and the harbor of Volendam.

Beautiful Volendam

On the way I keep singing: ‘Beautiful Volendam,’ but I don’t get any further because I don’t know the lyrics. That’s Adriaan’s fault, because whenever a Dutch song comes on the radio he switches to another station. I admit I usually don’t mind at all, but right now I do—two words don’t make a song.

Volendam is bustling. Tourists have returned, and the gulls gorge themselves on whatever people discard. Such a difference from Monnickendam, which feels warm and welcoming, with its authentic little shops. Here you trip over souvenir shops and countless food stalls.

There’s even a pepernoten shop. How many pepernoten would you have to sell to make a living from that? Still, it has its charm—the smell of food is inviting and the atmosphere is cozy.

In the harbor lies a beautiful ship, the ‘Halve Maen.’ It’s a replica of a VOC vessel, and you can visit it on weekends.

The unknown Volendam

We keep walking along the purple markers, past regular houses, churches, and shops. Even here, tourists appear. An Italian family, wanting a group photo, asks us to take it. Naturally, Adriaan obliges.

There isn’t much special to see here anymore, apart from the charming drawbridges. I keep searching for the Doolhof: a little fishermen’s quarter with a maze of streets and green, partly wooden houses. We probably walked through it already, but didn’t notice.

Heading back on the bus.

We return to the Marinapark and head to the bus. We take bus 316 towards Amsterdam. When Adriaan gets on and asks if he can buy a ticket, he’s allowed to just walk through—the ticket machine is broken. The bus drives very fast and, in our opinion, takes a detour. We start to feel a bit nervous about whether we’ll recognize our stop. Otherwise we’ll end up in Amsterdam while our car is still at the parking lot. Of course we recognize the Monnickendam marina, and a little further on the bus stops at the bus stop.

Adriaan remarks: ‘Good thing I didn’t have my OV-Chipkaart with me, now it was free.’ It’s about 300 meters walking back to the parking lot. What a distance!

What an adventure this was again, but luckily we still have the photos.

More about us and more about the walk.

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Start: Parkeerplaats de Zarken in Monnickendam

Provincie: Noord-Holland

Distance: 12 km
Important: this is not a circular route—we took the bus back.
Trail markers: Red and Purple arrows
Link to our GPX-bestand or komoot

Extra info

From the parking lot in Monnickendam, follow the red arrows and walking junctions: 7, 30, 38, 25, 24, 8.
From junction 8, switch to the purple arrows heading toward junction 25.
There, descend a staircase and follow the purple arrows back to starting point 8.

From there, walk to the Marinapark Volendam bus stop (located on Julianaweg) and take the bus back to Monnickendam, getting off at the Bernhardbrug stop.
Walk under the road to return to the parking lot.