On vacation in Drenthe

The campsites in the Netherlands are open again, we may again! One of our favorite provinces to vacation is Drenthe. It is a beautiful area for biking and hiking. There is a lot of beautiful nature, space, tranquility, the beautiful green villages…. Maximum enjoyment. Guest blogger Marian regularly camps in Drenthe and likes to share her experiences with you in her blog!

Camping in Drenthe

We usually look for a nice mini-camping site, usually one affiliated with SVR. We like the small scale and they are often surrounded by greenery and therefore an oasis of tranquility. In our choice, we deliberately look for sufficient children’s entertainment such as go-karts or a trampoline. Most mini campsites also offer something extra such as a covered wagon ride, or a barbecue or marshmallow roasting at the owners’ yard with all the guests.

Camping de Berghoeve

Camping the Berghoeve in Ruinen is a very nice campsite with hospitable owners. We were there in 2019 in the pre-season. The kids got to help the owner set up a trampoline that had just been delivered. Very cool of course to be involved in such a tough man’s job and then be able to jump for days afterwards! The oldest got to take a hammer to do chores in a tree house that was there, we could buy fresh eggs, feed animals… So all kinds of things to do! That village feel is exactly what I miss in the city and enjoy that when we are on vacation. This campground has a great choice of accommodations. There are furnished tents for rent, there is a B&B and there are many places for a caravan, camper or tent… Currently the owners have put up private sanitary facilities for everyone so even in corona times it is a good vacation spot!

Fun activities in Drenthe

The sheep flock in Ruinen is also an experience. There is a tower that you can climb where you can clearly see the arrival of the sheep at the end of the day. You can also stay down if you can appreciate them walking around your legs. I’m not much of a hero. Not a hero at high altitude either by the way but in this case I thought that was better than standing among the sheep below. Would you like to visit the flock? Be sure to check their website to see when you can re-enter the tower.

The Blue Lake in Drenthe is still on my wish list. Next time we are in Drenthe we are going to visit it!

Brink villages

Surely the best thing about Drenthe are the Brinkdorpen. Brinkdorpen come from the Middle Ages. People built their houses on a sand ridge to keep their feet dry. These villages have their own particular architectural style. Diever, Dwingeloo, Havelte and Vledder are the best known Brinkdorpen.

Discovering Drenthe

During the vacations we like to discover new things. When you go out ‘on the wild side’, you come across all sorts of beautiful places, especially on a bicycle. When we were at a campsite in Uffelte we cycled to Havelte and saw a nice restaurant: Ludiek. If you’re ever in the neighborhood you should definitely stop in! We had a fantastic dinner with the five of us and later I saw that you can also stay overnight. A lovely place to stay.

So we discover Drenthe in our own way. We ‘cycle after our nose’ and see where we end up. Where we have lunch, get an ice cream, take a rest and where we return later to have another look.

And besides, there is much more to do in Drenthe: the Prison Museum in Veenhuizen, Hunebedden viewing, Wildlands Emmen and don’t miss: the National Parks! I would say: go out in Drenthe and be surprised!

Have a great vacation,

Marian