Cycling through the Drentse-Friese Wold National Park

On the border of Drenthe and Friesland, lie beautiful, large forests, heathland, drifting sands and peaceful stream valley grasslands: National Park Drens-Friese Wold. After the Veluwe, it is the largest contiguous forest area in the Netherlands. The symbol of this beautiful forest area is the black woodpecker. If you are lucky, you can see this beautiful little bird in the forest; you can often hear its drumming. Accompanied by its enthusiastic drumming on the tree trunks, your bike ride immediately gets more atmosphere. You will explore, among other things, the varied area of Hoogersmilde. Centuries ago, this was a wild and inaccessible place. Impenetrable marshes, raised bogs and heathland were alternated here with forests, sand drifts and small lakes. Hoogersmilde arose in the middle of this natural beauty, which is still sparsely populated. Yet there is always something to find that arouses your interest, whether you like cultural history, nature or other entertainment. If you are in Drenthe, you should at least visit a dolmen. That is why this bike tour takes you to dolmen D52. This medium-sized dolmen consists of six capstones, 2 keystones and a portal stone. The dolmen was damaged in the burial chamber at the beginning of 2011, when a fire was lit. This caused a large crack in one of the supporting stones. After the incident, all vegetation around the dolmen was removed to make the place less attractive to loitering youths. Stop (towards the end of the route) at the Drents-Friese Wold Visitors' Centre, to obtain information about the beautiful things you have seen during this tour.