Tour of Drenthe and surroundings

Prepare yourself for a unique view of a white plain, because sand is extracted in the Gasselterveld. The coarse sand can only be found in a few places in Drenthe. Most houses in Drenthe are made with sand that is extracted here. In the Gasselterveld you see a sandy plain with large white round grains of sand. It was deposited by fast-flowing meltwater at the end of the penultimate ice age and originally comes from Scandinavia. The Drouwenerveld is of a completely different calibre. Here you can search for tracks between the untouched fens and rugged heathland. For centuries, all of Drenthe will look like the Drouwenerveld still does: a wild nature that goes its own way. The landscaped forests, where many wild animals and birds have found their place, are subtle. At least as impressive are the stately beech avenues and cobblestone roads, which lead to burial mounds and dolmens, romantic fens and heathland. The surrounding villages offer a pleasant change from the inhabited world. Cycle to dolmen D19 near Drouwen. It is located near dolmen D20. Together, these were the first two dolmens to be subjected to archaeological research in the Netherlands. Various historical finds of great value were made: shards of 400 pots, flint arrowheads and strips of copper. These are considered to be the oldest jewellery worn in the Netherlands. Another special dolmen D27 is located in Borger. It is the showpiece among the Dutch dolmens; it is so large that it probably does not even fit in one photo. The dolmen is 22.5 metres long and has nine capstones. These rest on 26 side stones. Furthermore, the giant consists of two keystones. The gate is still complete and is built with four side stones and a capstone. Two boulders that lie near the dolmen are possibly ring stones that belonged to the grave. At the National Hunebedden Information Centre, which you will also pass during the bike ride, you can learn more about these impressive stone graves. In addition to stone graves, you will also pass a burial mound from ancient times. Human remains are buried in this mound. Burial mounds could be expanded and multiple people could be buried in them. They were also used for worship and as a place to commemorate the dead, as we do in a cemetery today.