Walking tour Leekstermeer and Leekster Hoofddiep

After a cup of coffee at Cnossen Leekstermeer, put on your hiking boots. Rugged low moor areas spread out around the Leekstermeer, the largest lake in Drenthe. The Onlanden are located exactly in the valley between the higher Drenthe sandy soils and Groningen clay soils. Here you can enjoy beautiful views of grasslands, but you will also see bushes and hedgerows. The Van Ewsum family of the Nienoord estate has started the major peat work in the Zuidelijk Westerkwartier. It was Wigbold van Ewsum who bought large pieces of raised moor from 1508 to have them excavated. The peat was sold. He drained the area with the construction of the Leekster Hoofddiep. Districts (side canals) and gruppen (drenches) were constructed on both sides. This created the pattern of the block-shaped allotment, typical for a peat colony.