The north of the Netherlands has a lot of hidden gems, and you’ll find them mostly in the National Parks. We saw that in our 12-province tour of 12 parks that we did in collaboration with Landal. We captured stunning images in Friesland, Groningen en Drenthe. Now we are giving that a follow-up from Landal Hunerwoldstate. The park is located in Drenthe, but if you go 1 kilometer westwards you are in Friesland. Hunerwoldstate depends on the National Park Drents-Friese Wold, a beautiful natural area. From here you can create beautiful gravel routes through the National Park Drents-Friese Wold, but also towards Fochteloërveen (another gem), and with a little imagination, De Weerribben and the Dwingelderveld are also within reach. Let’s go for a nice bike ride through the Drents-Friese Wold! With the gravel bike, of course.
Peace, space and regularity
When we take the A32 off at the Havelte exit, it doesn’t really stand out. We’re just above Meppel here, and it’s still relatively busy. Lots of cars, houses, and businesses. The closer we get to Wateren, at ‘Hunerwoldstate’, the quieter it gets. The villages get smaller. They all have a characteristic ‘brink’. In the old days, you could find the three-in-one Church, pub, and bank here. Now only the Church remains. The pub is a community center, and the bank has already left years ago. Here, there is peace, space, and regularity. And that’s why you’ll also find beautiful gravel paths here. Because you know: the less densely populated, the more sparsely the unpaved paths are dotted.
National Park Drents-Friese Wold
Landal Hunerwold State So it’s right next to the Drents-Friese Wold. For this trip I asked Mike Gattas (known from De Wielercode) for route help. He lives in Oldeberkoop, a few kilometers away, and knows the region like the back of his hand. However, the app group offers two beautiful routes. The first is 65km towards Veenhuizen, via Fochteloërveen, and the second is a 59 kilometer route that almost crosses the entire National Park. This is going to be a real treat!
Gravel route 1 – through the Drents-Friese Wold National Park
On Saturday the sun rises early. There is some activity in the park. Dads start their run. Pet owners let their dogs out. Kids in the playground. Although the sun is shining, it’s still quite cool. I was prepared for a short run, but I take off the sleeve covers and my vest from the closet anyway. The route looks amazing. I see more than 50% unpaved roads, little asphalt, and along the winding paths in the route we go through the forest and through nature quite often. Enjoy!
Right at the park, I turn onto the first gravel road. It’s a turn and a turn, and in no time I’m in the National Park. Here I go over a narrow bike path, crisscrossing between forest, heather, tussock grassland and marshland. Places like this continue to amaze me. They just exist in the Netherlands! Meanwhile, we’ve also crossed the border with Friesland. Nature doesn’t care about that; it remains just as beautiful. For the trails, you’ll want to go there too: sometimes long stretches of champagne gravel, then sandy patches. Open space, through the forest, undulating, but never really heavy.
For the first 30 kilometers of the route, I almost always ride on unpaved or narrow, semi-paved paths through the park and through the forest. That’s not what I’m used to at home! After that, I head to the Wapserveensche Aa and follow a very long stretch along the water. Wide, unpaved, with some stray dogs, but really nice gravel roads! This stretch is six kilometers long. Unprecedented. Shortly after that, I turn right towards Vledder and arrive at the Colonies of Virtue. Since the beginning of the 19th century, families were brought here to combat poverty. This is also where the ‘non-free’ colony Veenhuizen (the prison) originated.
The route continues towards Frederiksoord after Vledder, the heart of the Colonies. Frederiksoord was founded as a colony. Here you will find not only a beautiful accommodation but you can also take a coffee, lunch or dinner with you. at POSTEN Nordic. A must-try. It’s worth knowing: along this route you’ll hardly find any restaurants. So bring plenty of food with you! After Frederiksoord you’ll swing through the forest and fields, and at Zorgvlied we’ll pass by a beautiful flower field. You’ll see more of that in this area, and that’s quite special!
After just over two hours, I head back to the park. I can rinse the bike at the reception. Despite the dry weather, there is still some dirt on my chain. Well organized and the bike can dry in the sun.
Route 2 Drents-Friese Wold and Fochteloërveen
If you can gravel bike somewhere nice, it’s in Fochteloërveen. On the border with Friesland and Drenthe you’ll find a wonderful natural area. One of the best tips I can give right away is to stop by the lookout tower ‘the seven’. This is not part of the given route, but it does offer a beautiful view over the breeding area of Fochteloo. And it is an architectural masterpiece.
The route I ride on the second day is almost 50 kilometers long and therefore partly takes me through the Wold towards Fochteloërveen. The route also includes many unpaved paths here. I therefore head towards Appelscha, where I first have to cross the Wold. Then the crossing towards Ravensweld follows and then you naturally enter Fochteloërveen. This area, managed by Natuurmonumenten, is a high marshland that consists mainly of bog mosses. You will find all kinds of birds here, including cranes, and you have to be very careful because you can also find three types of snakes here, which thrive well in this wet and nutrient-poor marsh colony.
Cycling through it is beautiful. It is a special area, especially striking to see that it can be found in the Netherlands. At the head of the area, you come out onto the main road at Veenhuizen. Veenhuizen is a special place to visit. You can take a day trip to the Prison Museum, but if you don’t want to leave your bike somewhere outside, a ride through the main street is interesting enough to include the names of the houses in your memory. For example, ‘Flink en Vlug’, ‘Leering door voorbeeld’ or ‘Vooruit’.
Tip: If you want to eat a real Dutch fritter, a stop at Piepers and Paupers is a must. Do you want to have a beer (or something else to drink) in a nice setting? Then the adjacent Brouwerij Maallust is a great stop! Note: the beers are high in alcohol, so choose carefully ;).
After Veenhuizen you can take an extra loop north of the prison village. There you will find some beautiful gravel paths, but I myself head back towards the park. I just miss the beautiful ‘seven’ observation towers. From there you have a beautiful view over the Fochteloerveen. But on the gravel paths and paved paths I ride, there is plenty to see in a different way. Horses, birds, you know the ones. Back home. For there awaits the warmth of the spacious villa.
Landal Hunerwoldstate in the Drents-Friese Wold
The park is a wonderfully peaceful place, right on the edge of nature. The facilities are well organized, with a shop where you can buy some basic supplies, there are play opportunities for the children, there is a bike rental, and in the summer you can go to the adjacent swimming pond. There is also good cooperation with the neighboring campsite, where you will find a restaurant, a swimming pool (which was closed during our stay), and also the possibility to have your clothes washed.
The house is really spacious. It is a six-person house with a sauna (which we didn't test). The garden around the house is spacious and you have plenty of shelter from the other houses.
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.