Grolloo-Drouwen-Exloo

The Drentsche Aa winds its way through a landscape that has remained exceptionally intact and where farmers have held sway for thousands of years. Saxon farms around the village green, fields on the rounded ash trees and the hayfields and meadows in the lower stream valley: in the De Drentsche Aa National Park and National Landscape, the old, typical Drenthe landscape is preserved. It is a beautiful landscape, in which open and closed areas alternate strongly. Even though farmers cultivate the landscape here, it was largely shaped by the stream. An esdorp landscape was built around this. In the area you will find a characteristic combination of 'spontaneous' nature and agricultural activities on the land: haying, mowing and sod. You can park your car for free at Cafe Restaurant Hofsteenge. The tour leads you to various monuments that remind you of various historical events that took place during the Second World War. Monument Fernand Beque was erected in memory of the French paratrooper who died here. Via the Petrified Life Exhibition Farm, where you can view a range of minerals and fossils, you will reach the Jewish Monument Borger and the Polish Monument Buinen, which commemorate the Jewish war victims who were employed in the camps. The last sight of the cycle tour is a mill in Grolloo. The paaltjasker The paaltjasker is located in the Grollooerveen and can be seen from afar. The tjasker was built as early as 1930, but it was only given its current purpose in 1986. The mill has no other function than that of a tourist attraction. You can also approach it within a few meters, if you are willing to push your way through the tough vegetation. When you return to the parking lot of Cafe Restaurant Hofsteenge, you must have worked up an appetite from the bike ride. You can dine at the Bed & Breakfast and the avid cyclist can book an overnight stay in the cozy B&B, because route 120881 also departs from the Hofsteenge. This way you can enjoy the most beautiful cycling tours through the De Drentsche AA National Landscape in two days.