De Drentsche Aa National Park

Saxon farms around the village green, fields on the rounded ash trees and hay fields in the lower stream valley: in the De Drentsche Aa National Park the individual atmosphere and identity of the old esdorp landscape has been preserved, simply because people took the landscape as it lay. The result is an idyllic area where you almost literally cycle back in time. A unique experience in our country shaped by human hands. From the Kymmelsberg, a drift dune near the village of Schipsborg, you have a beautiful view over the flow valley of the Drentsche Aa. A little further on you can visit the Homanshof in Anloo if you want to know more about this national park.

In addition to the Drentsche Aa river valley (the river that gets a different name in almost every town it flows through), you also drive through quiet forests and vast heathlands. In the Gieten-Borger Forestry, for example, you drive through an almost 3,000-hectare nature reserve that consists of a mix of deciduous and coniferous forests, heathland and peat bogs. Here you will find the famous Treetop Path, an educational walk through the treetops. The route also takes you through picturesque villages such as Rolde, Grolloo and Gasteren where you will see several authentic thatched farms.

During your bike ride you will pass a number of dolmens that give you a glimpse into a past that goes back 5,000 years. Near the Drentsche Aa is Hunebed D10, a fairly modest example. A little further away near Eext, the small Hunebed D13 is hidden in a huge hill. When this dolmen was examined a hundred years ago, the capstone was missing. This was only added later. Some special finds have been made in this dolmen, such as pots containing burnt bones. Hunebed D14 is surprisingly complete. And big. You wonder how people with simple tools ever managed to build such a structure. Near Rolde you will find Hunebed D17.