Walking through Blesdijke and surroundings

On the border between Overijssel and Friesland you will find a varied landscape full of peace and space. Ideal for a walk, especially because you pass some striking sights.

Blesdijke
You start the route in Blesdijk, a ribbon village in Friesland where you see some characteristic old farms. You will also pass the village church that dates from 1843. Its fourteenth-century predecessor is said to have collapsed in 1836. Outside the village you walk past grasslands and arable lands. Every now and then you walk down a path that is surrounded by trees. It is wonderfully quiet here, ideal for clearing your head or catching up with friends or family.

Paasloo
The village of Paasloo is located in the Kop van Overijssel. Here you will pass the barrel mill, the only one in the Netherlands. The church from 1336 is also striking: the nave corresponds to an Overijssel farm. Just past the village you can walk a bit across the beautiful Blesdijkerheide. What was once an extensive heathland was planted with forests in the 1960s. The silence is no less. At B&B De Markestee in Blesdijke you can enjoy a comfortable holiday.

Unique barrel mill
The barrel mill in Paasloo was built in 1899 by a local farmer, Berend Krol. Like other farmers in the area, Krol's land was regularly flooded. Krol ideally wanted to tackle this problem by grinding the soil dry with a windmill. However, for a traditional mill, too many trees would have to be cut down to provide sufficient windage. So Krol designed a windmill in which the wind was captured by circularly mounted vertical slats that rotate in the horizontal plane. In 1952 the original barrel mill was lost due to a heavy storm. The copy you see today is a replica from 2002.