Explore beautiful Twente including Oostmarsum and Tubbergen

In Ootmarsum in Twente you will find the lovely small scale that is so characteristic of this region. One of the first churches in Twente was built here around 770 and in the Middle Ages trade flourished in Ootmarsum due to the favorable location of the town. The industrial boom in Twente passed over Ootmarsum, so the former charm has been preserved. The old nostalgic city center revives old times and it is wonderful to cycle 'back in time'. The Springendal nature reserve is located just north of Ootmarsum. The area covers approximately 355 hectares and is known for its springs, streams, hills and burial mounds. On the border with Germany there is an open area of heath, the Paardenslenkte. Natural spring water originates at three places in the nature reserve, these places can be recognized by the forest lakes that can be found there. A visit to Openluchtmseum Ootmarsum is also great fun. Here you can experience Twente rural life as it was a hundred years ago, but the museum also tells the story of the administrators of the past: the drost, the hofmeier and the commander. You can sit and rest in the museum restaurant before continuing the tour and going to the Bels Mill. This overshot water mill was built in 1725 as a corn and paper mill. From the mid-nineteenth century, chicory was also ground in the mill. The adjacent mill pond was constructed in 1874. In 1914 the mill was converted into a turbine mill. Nowadays the mill houses a restaurant and tearoom. An exhibition about Overijssel windmills can be seen in an outbuilding. The Mill of Frans is also an overhead water mill. The mill is located close to the Bels Mill on the Mosbeek and has even more similarities with that mill: the Bels mill also dates from 1725 and it was also used as a corn and paper mill. Since 1963, the mill has been owned by the Overijssel Landscape Foundation. This foundation has completely restored the mill and has housed a permanent exhibition about the history of the mill. There is also information about the flora and fauna around the Mosbeek. The mill can be visited on Sundays from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. You can book a stay at Landgoed de Holtweijde for a wonderful cycling holiday. This beautiful four-star hotel is being built in the middle of the scenic landscape, a stone's throw from all kinds of special places to discover. The swimming pool can even call itself the most beautiful indoor swimming pool in the Netherlands, the sauna is on when you return from your bike ride. Route 151258 also starts and ends here, so you can start the tour well-rested the next day.