Jacob van Lennep route, Part 15 (Emmen - Hoogeveen)

mirage
On Wednesday 2 July, Van Lennep and Van Hogendorp are on their way to Zweeloo. It is scorching hot, they have been walking for two and a half hours without any form of shelter through shifting sand and heather. In the distance they think they see large seas, forests and villages. It turns out to be a mirage.

Signposts
After a refreshment in Zweeloo they continue."We (...) plowed through the nasty sandy soil\\\", writes Van Lennep. A little later they are standing on an endless heath where hundreds of tracks run together. They pass right through it, following the signposts that are usually about twenty minutes apart. As can be heard in the first radio episode, maps existed in those days. Only the military topography maps were really reliable, but you couldn't get them as a civilian. Van Lennep and Van Hogendorp probably did not use the commercially available maps. After all, many roads and paths lead directly to nearby villages. Sometimes the walkers asked farmers who were working on the land for directions, but that was no guarantee of success either.

Nightmare
After a few hours they see Hoogeveen from afar. However, it will take them another two hours to reach this place because the path is quite winding. They enjoy a delicious supper in the inn of brandy distiller Meijer. Van Lennep eats so much that he wakes up at night:"I felt like an evil spirit was constantly chasing me around the room.\\\"

Floor sources
-Jakob van Lennep," The Summer of 1823": Part 2, Chapter 1.
-Geert Mak, The summer of 1823 as a television series : episode 4.
-Maya Schepers, The summer of 1823 as a radio series : episode 1 and 4.