Discover beautiful Westerbork

With this cycle route you will explore central Drenthe between the towns of Beilen and Westerbork. It is a beautiful, quiet area with panoramic views, interspersed with small heathlands. You may immediately associate Westerbork with Camp Westerbork. For many, the so-called 'transit camp' during the Second World War was a gateway to the extermination camps in Germany and Poland. However, the actual camp was in Hooghalen, which is about seven kilometers from the town of Westerbork, but still belongs to the municipality of Westerbork.

You start in Westerbork and cycle inland to the first major town on the route: Beilen. This is a typical Drenthe esdorp, built around a higher field, or es. This still forms the center of the place. The fact that this region had been inhabited for thousands of years was evident from the special discovery that was made in 1955; a gold treasure from around 400, consisting of a bracelet, neck rings and 22 Roman gold coins. It was the richest treasure from the Drenthe soil. The find can be viewed in the Drents Museum in Assen.

Just outside Beilen you pass the Molen van Makkum, a flour mill that is still operated by volunteers. On your way through the Drenthe countryside you will also come across beautiful old Saxon farms, including in the hamlet of Bruntinge. An interesting detail of this town is that it was the last in the Netherlands to be connected to the electricity grid in April 1965. The heathlands, such as the Scharreveld, are the remains of what used to be a vast heathland area. Reclamation and logging have fragmented the areas. Fortunately, nowadays the heath is used sparingly and grazers are used to prevent the areas from becoming further overgrown with forest. More than half of the route is the cute museum village of Orvelte. This is really worth a longer stop. Cars are not allowed in the protected part of the village, but you can cycle straight through the historic center. The village probably originated between the 11th and 13th centuries.

Normal people live in the village, but in most cases they have devoted themselves to an old craft. The village shops with craft items are very nice. You will find a sawmill and forge that still produce normally. The nice thing is that you can watch their work. The cheese factory and bakery also make products on site that are sold directly to your home. You will also find various studios and galleries in the village. Of course also the necessary tourist trinkets, but you just have to look through that. You can visit the center in about an hour, so this is a good stopover.