Exciting cycling around the village of Norg

This diverse cycling tour in northern Drenthe takes you to unique locations. Take, for example, the last raised bog area in the Netherlands, which you'll cycle right through. A completely different experience, but equally exciting, is the prison museum, also on your route. Time to hit the road!

Dolmen
Your starting point is Norg, a typical Drenthe village with no fewer than five village greens. These used to be open spaces where, among other things, livestock was gathered. Today, many village greens have been transformed into green, tree-lined squares. Just before leaving Norg on the south side, you'll pass De Hoop windmill. Be sure to take a look at the sails of this windmill. It's the only windmill in the Netherlands with bilau wings. Named after their German designer, Kurt Bilau, this shape resembles an airplane wing. And yes, you'll also find a dolmen so characteristic of Drenthe along your route. Just before cycling into Westervelde, the D2 is on your right.

Fochteloërveen
Between Norg and Veenhuizen, the route passes through beautiful nature reserves. First, Norgerholt, one of the oldest forests in the Netherlands. Here you'll find a unique combination of common oak and holly. Between junctions 19 and 63, you'll find Fochteloërveen. It's unique because it's one of the last remaining raised bogs in the Netherlands. Raised bog is an exceptionally poor soil type with high acidity and saturated with water. This gives the area unique flora and fauna. You'll find all sorts of peat mosses, berries, and carnivorous plants.

Prison village Veenhuizen
This village has a history tied to penitentiaries. Veenhuizen has only been freely accessible since 1981. Before that, only prison staff and their families were allowed in the village, in addition to prisoners. From 1800 onwards, one of the institutions initially housed vagrants and beggars. Later, they became state labor institutions, and from the early 1900s, prisons. Today, there are three penitentiaries, including those for long-term prisoners. From the Prison Museum, housed in one of the institution's old buildings, you can take a tour of the prisons in a vintage prisoner bus. The eastern side of Norg is also definitely worth a visit.