Forestry Exloo, Borger and 2nd Exloermond

Dolmens hidden among the greenery, grasslands with beautiful old hedgerows and small groups of trees that were planted for wood extraction and are now full-grown giants. Paths constructed with field boulders that were once found in Scandinavia and typical esdorp villages that are so characteristic of the Drenthe landscape. On this beautiful route you explore the rolling closed deciduous and coniferous forests around Exloo and alternate open heathland and drifting sands. The many dolmens on this route are not the only references to the rich historical past. At a crossroads there is a so-called marker stone near a thick oak tree and the Glacier Pit, a kind of vegetated crater that was created during the Ice Age, can also still be found. Supermarket Attent SidB Drent is the starting point of the route. You can park your car here for free. In the supermarket you choose something tasty for your backpack; a bottle of water, a bag with sandwiches and toppings or some fruit, so that you have a choice of something tasty during your break. Then you're on your way! You will come across a special dolmen in the Hunzebos: dolmen 31. It immediately becomes clear that this stone cemetery is incomplete. The dolmen had a capstone, but it fell to the ground. The place where the stones are located - at the foot of a hill in a beautiful wooded area - is important for the image that the dolmen evokes, because despite its decay it continues to appeal to the imagination. Past Exloo, in the middle of the Exloo forestry, is dolmen D30. There are still two gate stones, which make it clear where the gate must have been and in the cellar shards of what once were more than sixty pots were found. Burned human bone remains and an arrowhead were also found. The latter is a find that is extremely special at a dolmen in the Netherlands. Borger is home to the largest dolmen in the Netherlands: 23 meters long, with nine covering stones and four gate stones, this giant has no fewer than 23 meters! In addition to the dolmen that was on the route before, it is one of the few dolmens where human remains have been found. Due to its size, it has always been thought that Borger may have been the center of the Funnel Beaker culture. The'Hunebed Center\\\', a museum located next to the dolmen, takes you back to the time of the Funnel Beaker people. Here you will find out everything about the dolmens that you encounter on our cycling routes. Dolmen D21 to D25 are all very close to each other. Dolmen D23 is by far the worst condition: there is only one capstone left, which is supported by smaller capstones and one capstone has fallen off the load-bearing stones. The dolmen is almost no longer recognizable as such, but the fact that the other dolmens are at such a short distance does ring a bell. Dolmen D24 also stands in a sad state. The stone grave is slightly larger than its dilapidated brother D23, but because they are so close together, it is still an impressive whole. The first thing you will probably notice when you arrive at dolmen D21 is that it is attached to a huge beech tree. This makes you realize how terribly old the dolmen must already be; Over time, the beech has become part of dolmen D21 and fused with it. This dolmen has enormous covering stones in proportion to its total size. It seems that this dolmen belongs somewhat to dolmen D22. If you look closely you will see similarities between these dolmens, such as the three covering stones. Dolmen D22 is also called the little sister of dolmen D21. They have approximately the same structure, although D22 is in worse condition. You probably don't recognize the stone grave as a dolmen; it is the smallest dolmen in Drenthe. Each dolmen has something unique; the location, the archaeological finds made there, the size or the structure. Hunebed D25 falls into the latter category. It's like a little park, lined with stones. This dolmen is clearly larger than D23 and D24 and, unlike its dilapidated neighbors, is still very complete. So you come back from your hunebed tour and you see the supermarket in Exloërmond again. The more than forty kilometer long bike ride has probably made you hungry, so it is useful that you can buy the ingredients at the supermarket that you need at home to put a delicious meal on the table. Enjoy your meal!