Walking through nature reserve Het Mandefjild

drifting sand areas and heaths
The Mandefjild is widely known for its sand drifts. The wind used to blow the sand up wildly here, but nowadays the sand is much firmer because trees and shrubs have been planted in this area. As a result, shifting sand areas alternate with areas with heather. Here and there you will find a birch or a Scots pine with birds in it. The heaths of this area are grazed by a herd of Drenthe heath sheep. At the edge of the nature reserve is the sheepfold where the herd is brought in the evening to spend the night. You also walk through Bakkeveen, a small green village in the middle of all the beautiful nature reserves in this area.

Camping de Ikeleane
Camping de Ikeleane is the starting and finishing point of this route. This is the perfect place to spend the night after a nice walk through the area. Pitch your camper, caravan or tent here or rent a holiday home and relax in the middle of the woods. After a night's sleep in this oasis of tranquility you will feel reborn again.

Archaeological finds
The area around Bakkeveen has been inhabited for a long time. Traces that show this are, for example, excavations dating from about 10,000 years BC. You will also find burial mounds here that are about 4000 years old. The hollow paths in this area are reminders of the time when there were no paved roads. People then walked via these paths across the heath to Drenthe.