Cycling through the former Drenthe peat area

Straight roads at right angles to each other, peat colonies that have grown into villages: this route takes you through the former Drenthe peat area. You also drive through quiet nature reserves and towns with an ancient history.

Surprising Hoogeveen
The area around Dalerpeel still exudes the atmosphere of Drenthe from the time of the large peat bogs. You can still smell the fresh sour air of the peat here. In Dalen you will pass the beautiful monumental Reformed Church fifteenth century. You can also see De Bente windmill here, a flour mill from 1814. Hoogeveen is the largest town on your route. You can admire some monumental buildings, especially in the old city center on the Hoofdstraat.

The Mantinger Field
In Drenthe you will still find nature reserves where an old-fashioned silence reigns. In the Mantingerveld you will see plenty of heath and shifting sand hills covered with juniper berries. In Boswachterij Gees you mainly cycle between deciduous trees that were planted in the 1920s. After your trip through the beautiful countryside of Drenthe, you can refuel at Camping and Bungalowpark De Wolfskuylen. Here you will find all the facilities for a carefree holiday.

Public Works
You will pass through Nieuwlande, one of the former peat colonies on your route. You will also pass through Elim. The name of this peat colony refers to the Biblical Elim, an oasis in the Sinai desert. Elim gained national fame because the award-winning novel Public Works was supposed to be partly set here. According to local historians, however, the peat village described in Public Works showed no connection whatsoever with Elim. Author Thomas Rosenboom later also indicated that the village in his book was completely made up. Would you like to discover more of Drenthe during your stay at Camping and Bungalowpark De Wolfskuylen? Then also drive the routes 341570 and 341572.