On vacation in your own country: Drenthe

Many people have discovered in the past year that the Netherlands is very beautiful. Take Drenthe for example! Drenthe is a beautiful province where there is a lot to do. Even in Corona time. You have to love the outdoors and – if possible – have some nice weather. Because that is actually the most unpredictable thing in our country. The nice thing about Drenthe is that its nature is enormously varied. And although Drenthe itself has few castles and estates, there is plenty of history. In this blog we look at this province in different ways to inspire you for your summer vacation, for example.

Green province

Anyone who thinks of Drenthe thinks primarily of hiking and biking areas. And that’s right! There are many beautiful natural areas to visit and they are all different as well. Some of these areas are on the border with Friesland. Just look at the Drents-Friese Wold. You have forests to walk in there, such as near Diever, where you can visit a real hiding place, but you also have vast shifting sand plains. Be sure to visit Aekingerzand. That area is huge and consists largely of sand and heathland. Who knows, you might even come across a snake there! This side is very different from the wooded side of the province. But also the area of the Drentsche Aa is beautiful! We mentioned this area earlier in a blog about nature reserves in the Netherlands. This watery area is known for its esdorpen. The villages are maintained with care so that this beautiful heritage is not lost.

Bird area

Birds love the diverse nature in Drenthe. Just go check out the nature reserve of Fochteloërveen. This area also lies partly in Friesland, but is also on Drenthe territory. The strange landscape resembles the African savannah. But instead of elephants and giraffes, it is mainly the breeding ground of many birds. The rare crane feels very much at home here and if you are lucky you will even see the special bearded vulture! So be sure to bring binoculars when you go here. You can also overlook the whole area from watchtower the ‘Seven’. This special structure can be found at the edge of the nature reserve and provides a wonderful overview of the terrain.

Cycling in Drenthe

Besides hiking, you can also do great cycling in Drenthe. You can make it as crazy as you want. We’ve already looked at hiking and biking routes in Drenthe in a previous blog. So be sure not to forget to bring your bike. National Park Dwingelderveld, near Dwingeloo, is really a must on a bike. There are good bike paths and the route is well marked. Among other things, you will pass the Radiotelescope of Dwingeloo. This colossus cannot be missed and is used for scientific research in space. The radio telescope is able to pick up sounds from space! My imagination is already running wild. But even if it is not, it is a beautiful thing to see.

By the way, you can do an exciting night walk in National Park Dwingelderveld. This walk is 5 km long and is marked with reflective signs. Normally National Parks are not accessible after sunset, but this one is! If you are lucky you will see special animals such as deer and owls. We heard them, but unfortunately did not see them. But we did see a whole swarm of bats! And walking in the forest at night is very special! And exciting. Because at one point you really can’t see your hand in front of your face. A flashlight is definitely recommended, but try to leave it out as long as possible.

Ancient Drenthe

A nice thing about Drenthe is that the traces of Antiquity are so well preserved. For example, as many as 52 of these Prehistoric tombs can be found scattered throughout Drenthe. Most of these hunebeds are located along the so-called Hunebed Highway. This is a normal provincial road (the N34 from Zuidlaren to Coevorden) that takes you past no less than 47 of the 52 hunebeds. But of course you can actually visit the hunebeds. Like hunebed D52 in Diever. Even more traces from the Ice Age can be found on the Hondsrug. Along this route from below Emmen to the city of Groningen you will find several museums and visitor centers. You can read all about the Prehistoric sites in Drenthe in this blog.

Drenthe in wartime

We’ve talked about the Hiding Hole near Diever before in this blog. This den, called the Wigwam, can be found in the Drents-Friese Wold and tells a very impressive history. This hiding den was used by several people during the Second World War. You can read all about it in this blog. But you will also find Camp Westerbork in Drenthe. We talked about it earlier in this blog. Very impressive, because from this place more than a hundred thousand Jews, Roma and Sinti were transported to extermination camps. This kind of place is excellent to visit with somewhat older children.

Holidays in Drenthe with children

Speaking of children, there is also plenty for kids to do in Drenthe! For example, there are special children’s walks with fun interesting facts, barefoot paths and playgrounds. For older children there is also plenty to do, such as exciting climbing forests and interactive walks. You can find our tips in this blog. When the museums are allowed to reopen, the possibilities are even greater! Our guest blogger Marian also likes to go on vacation in Drenthe with her children. She wrote a blog about this earlier. You can find her tips and recommendations in this blog. With these blogs you will have enough inspiration for a vacation in Drenthe. Have a nice vacation!

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