Cycling through the Heart of Drenthe

Drenthe continues to fascinate. As a cyclist, you can't get enough of the historic villages and quiet nature. This route takes you through the Heart of Drenthe and through Orvelte and Grolloo. You will also pass Camp Westerbork.

Treetop trail
The Heart of Drenthe is a contiguous nature reserve of more than 5000 hectares where you sometimes get the feeling of cycling through the wilderness. You cycle through a mosaic of forests, heathlands and capricious streams. What is particularly striking: Drenthe is still traditionally quiet. In Boswachterij Gieten-Borger you will find the famous Boomkroonpad. During this educational walk through the treetops you have beautiful views of the wooded area.

Picturesque Orvelte
The more than thousand year old Orvelte regularly appears on the list of most beautiful Dutch villages. Not without reason: this car-free village brink is home to many historical sights.

Camp Westerbork
Between the firs and larches of the Hooghalen forestry, you pass Camp Westerbork. The former camp site is now a green plain, the old commander's house is one of the few remaining buildings. There is a museum on the site. Here you can see various films, but also walls of original barracks. Where the railway tracks ended in the camp, you can see the National Monument Camp Westerbork. This impressive monument was designed by a survivor who was in the labor camp, Ralph Prins. A little further on from the camp, near junction 58, there is a fourteen-meter-high lookout tower. A beautiful place to admire the impressive surroundings from above.