kielwindeweer

Note I get loads of mails. The majority are about pills, lonely ladies, Nigerian bankaccounts, investment advice, "updates from microsoft" to destroy my PC, answers to mails which I've never sent, mailservers bouncing messages because some cretin 'borrowed' my adress, penis extensions and other crap which doesn't cheer me up terribly. Mailwasher rules, together with the deletebutton, so there may be some collateral damage.
TIP: To ensure your message reaches me a normal name helps. If you're really named Dr Obote etc tough luck. A relevant header (Hello, Hey or loads of exclamationmarks are not clever) and a small filesize without attachments are a good thing.
And if you don't get an answer immediately it could just be that I'm busy!

How to get to Kiel Windeweer?
(visit by prior appointment only!)

by bicycle
from Groningen: Haren-Glimmen-Midlaren-Zuidlaren-De Groeve:

take to the cyclepath, signposted (=LF14) (turn right leaving the main entrance)
cross the rails at the first barred gates, continue along the Helperzoom Go straight on at the end where the road turns right, keep the pond on your right and follow the cyclepath
Continue along the cyclepath until it ends somewhere in the middel of Haren. Keep going straight, the Kerklaan will turn into Jachtlaan
Left in the direction Onnen (Onnerweg)
turn right before the railway, along the public pool
at the end of the cyclepath turn right and left again (Viaductweg) , take the climb to the railwaybridge cross the rails and turn left (Giezelgeer, end of LF14),
Iin Onnen take a right turn twice and continue in the direction of Noordlaren and Midlaren ( left turn here) & Zuidlaren.
In Zuidlaren after 'Sprookjeshof' left in the direction de Groeve along the canal. Turn right at the end of de Groeve in the direction Kiel Windeweer
In Kiel Windeweer turn right before the bridge for the Dorpsstraat continue for No 132.

Or ( a much more open route for those who like shipbuilding) along the Winschoterdiep (canal), turn right to Zuidlaren, Foxhol- De Groeve-Kiel Windeweer.
Turn right in Kiel Windeweer into the Dorpsstraat (along the canal)

From the direction of Assen
Loon-Gasteren-Anloo-Annen-Spijkerboor-Kiel Windeweer. The Dorpsstraat begins from this end with No 314, 132 is a few kilometers further down the road!

With public transport
By train to either Assen or Kropswolde, continuing by bicycle (25kms or 5kms)

As far as I can make out the busservice has been disontinued, apart from the schoolservice which stops at the Kielsterachterweg (Post #4) and then a 12 minute trek (walk the lane in the direction of the church and footiefield, continue over the bridge and turn left)

By car
A-28: exit Assen zuid, direction Veendam, 3rd exit on the roundabout Gieten, first exit Annen, continue as for the cycling route from Assen (Turn left before bridge after entering Kiel Windeweer) Note: the routeplanners route over Zuidlaren suffers from roadworks and detours.

A-7:exit Kolham, turn south in the direction of Zuidlaren. On entering 'de Groeve' turn left for Kiel Windeweer. In Kiel Windeweer turn right before the bridge for the Dorpsstraat.
No 132 is opposite the church, you can park at the back

By Boat
The Kieldiep connects the Zuidlaardermeer with Stadskanaal and Germany, and can be used by motorboats up to approx 15m

By flying saucer
The GPS coordinates are 6.46'44" East, 53.06'42" North.

Kiel Windeweer (municipality of Hoogezand-Sappemeer) is a village 20 km south-east of the city of Groningen, just on the border with the province of Drente. The character of this village along the canal is largely unchanged, and the draining ditches and swing bridges are still present. The ditches and canals were dug to transport the peat to Groningen.The peat is gone now, farmland remains and the NAM is now hunting for natural gas.
Until recently the canal was closed to shipping, which was a more formal way of expressing the fact that most bridges were welded shut. However, due to the wonders of European grants the bridges are now replaced, so you could be the first to reach us by boat if you don't mind a few dozen bridges!

Farming and livestock still dominates the village. Popular crops are potatoes, sugarbeet, corn and maize. And some black and white cows, and luckily not many pigs and the occasional horse, donkey or pony.

What else is Kiel Windeweer famous for: First there are our opposite neighbours Jan & Marola who run a tiny hotel with a wonderfull kitchen in the converted church: de Amshoff You can also encounter Kiel Windeweer on products by the Groninger cakefactory Barkhuis (well within smelling distance), and if cycling is to much work you can can get an Italian motorcycle at HMI or even heavier metal at USA-cars / EPS (actually based in 'Nieuwe Compagnie', another typical name from our past as a fen colony) .

Other area's where Kiel Windeweer leads the way: we have 7 km of canal, 10 swivel bridges, 2 drawbridges, 1 lock, and 6 letterboxes!.