Steendam is the only village on the Schildmeer. The lake shapes the range of activities: in Steendam, water sports, a beach and a marina are among the options; the surrounding area also offers wetland trails and birdwatching opportunities. The village itself has a history of its own, which is especially evident along Damsterweg. You can therefore shape your stay around water, landscape and architectural history.
Water sports and the beach on the Schildmeer
Most of the Schildmeer’s shoreline is a nature area. Steendam has a marina and a range of leisure activities. Visitors can kayak, canoe, windsurf, go stand-up paddling and swim in the lake. The beach at Steendam also has a jetty from which you can jump into the water. This gives you a choice of activities both on the water and at the beach.
Kaap Steendam regularly hosts music-and-dining evenings, combining dinner with live music. The performers are local, national and international artists. Kaap Steendam serves lunch, drinks and dinner. If you are planning to attend a music-and-dining evening, check the dates in advance.
Wetland trails and routes around the lake
Near Steendam, the Knuppelpad is a 750-metre wooden boardwalk through the wetlands of 't Roegwold. The loop from the car park is about two kilometres long. These are two different distances: the shorter one refers to the boardwalk, the longer one to the loop starting at the car park. 't Roegwold is suitable for walking and cycling and is popular with birdwatchers.
For a longer route, there is a cycling and walking path of about 14 kilometres around the Schildmeer. It is therefore a different scale from the boardwalk and the loop starting at the car park. Further afield, 't Roegwold stretches from Kolham via Slochteren and Schildwolde to the Schildmeer. The Steendammer Ommetje starts at the Dorpshuis, also known as Podiumcafé Peter & Leni.
The south shore of the Schildmeer also offers a base for sailing and surfing: Jachthaven Boei 12 serves as a starting point for both berth holders and visitors passing through. This broader perspective on the lake complements the activities in Steendam, without combining the different paths and stopping points into a single route.
Architectural history and nature
Along Damsterweg in Steendam are labourers’ cottages dating from around 1920 and middle-class houses from the 1930s. The two periods give the streetscape distinct historical reference points. The Keerschutsluis Haanssluis, a Rijksmonument dating from the 19th century, is also nearby. Farmer De Haan built the lock in the Haansvaart.
At Kaap Steendam, you can find the Kabouterkrant, with questions, activities and facts about nature for the Kabouterpad. This adds short activities and information to the region’s nature themes. Together with the wetland trails, Steendam offers various ways to discover the landscape beyond the shores of the Schildmeer.
Discover more destinations: Slochteren, Kolham, Scharmer, Overschild.
Back to the main travel overview: Slochteren.
