Cycling around Bakkeveen

Explore the surroundings of the Bakkeveense Duinen and the Blue Forest near Haulerwijk. Get on your bike and let yourself be carried away.

Starting point: Bakkeveen
The village is located near the Bakkeveense Duinen, a heath and forest area that emerged and remained untouched after peat reclamation in the 19th century. An example of what the whole of Southeast Friesland looked like two centuries ago. From Bakkeveen you leave for De Wilp and Zevenhuizen, where you will find Monument Cemetery Zevenhuizen.

From Zevenhuizen to Haulerwijk
Via Zevenhuizen you cycle on to Leek. The village originated at the redoubt that was built during the Eighty Years' War. The name is derived from the Lek stream, which was still called De Leek at the time. Leek is therefore now also called De Leek. From Leek you cycle south towards Steenbergen and Haulerwijk.

Through the Blue Forest
During the cycle route you will also pass the Blue Forest near Haulerwijk. The forest owes its name to the bluish color that the forest gets from the trees that grow there. Another explanation would be that the word'blue\\\' was often used as in'bad\\\', or'incomplete\\\'. That would then fit in with the fact that the forests are planted on acidic heathland. In the Blue Forest you will mainly find coniferous trees, interspersed with heath remnants. There are also several peat lakes to be found.