The north of the Netherlands has a lot of hidden gems and you will find them especially in the National Parks. We already saw that in our 12 provinces - 12 parks tour we did in collaboration with Landal. We shot stunning images in Friesland, Groningen and Drenthe. Now we are following that up, from Landal Hunerwoldstate. The park is in Drenthe, but if you go 1 kilometre west you are in Friesland. Hunerwoldstate is located at the Drents-Friese Wold National Park, a beautiful nature reserve. From here you can make beautiful gravel routes, through the Drents-Friese Wold National Park, but also towards Fochteloërveen (another gem) and with a little imagination, De Weerribben and the Dwingelderveld are also within reach. Let's go cycling through the Drents-Friese Wold! By gravel bike, of course.
Peace, space and regularity
As we turn off the A32 at the Havelte exit, we don't notice it yet. We are just above Meppel and this is still relatively busy. Lots of cars, houses and restaurants. The closer we get to Wateren, near 'Hunerwoldstate', the quieter it gets. Villages become smaller. They all have a characteristic 'brink'. In former times, you could find the trinity Church-pub-Rabobank here. Now only the Church remains. The pub is a community centre and the Rabobank left years ago. Here there is peace, space and regularity. And so you'll also find beautiful gravel paths here. Because you know: the less densely populated, the denser the dirt paths are.
Drents-Friese Wold National Park
Landal Hunerwold State is thus 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, as the crow flies a few kilometres away, and knows the region like no other. Soon two beautiful routes rolled into the app group. 65km towards Veenhuizen, via Fochteloërveen and a 59-kilometre route that crosses almost the entire National Park. This is going to be fun!
Gravel route 1 - through the Drents-Friese Wold National Park
On Saturday, the sun shines early. There is some activity on the park. Fathers starting their run. Couples walking their dogs. Children in the playground. Although the sun is shining, it is still quite chilly. I was prepared for short-shorts, but I pull out sleeves and my cardigan anyway. The route looks great. I see more than 50% unpaved, little asphalt and judging by the twists and turns in the route, we go through the forest and nature quite often. Enjoy!
Right at the park I turn onto the first gravel strip. It is turning and turning and within a short time I am in the National Park. Here I take a narrow cycle path, right between forest, heathland, shifting sands and stream valley grasslands. Places like this never cease to amaze me. This just exists in the Netherlands! Meanwhile, we have also crossed the border into Friesland. Nature doesn't care, it remains as beautiful as ever. For the paths you also want to go here: sometimes long 'champagne' gravel, sometimes sandy. Open space, through the forest, undulating, but never really tough.
For the first 30 kilometres of the route, I almost only ride unpaved or on narrow, semi-paved paths through the park and forest. I don't find that at home! Then I ride to the Wapserveensche Aa and we follow a very long stretch along the water. Wide, unpaved, some stray dogs, but really nice gravel! This stretch is six kilometres long. Unprecedented. Pretty soon after that, we turn right towards Vledder and enter the Koloniën van Weldadigheid. This is where families were brought to combat poverty since the early 19th century. This also gave rise to the 'unfree' colony Veenhuizen (the prison).
After Vledder, the route still winds towards Frederiksoord, the heart of the Colonies. Frederiksoord was founded as a colony. Here you will not only find a beautiful lodge but can also grab a coffee, lunch or dinner at POSTEN Nordic. Highly recommended. Good to know: along this route you will actually find hardly any catering facilities. So bring plenty of your own! After Frederiksoord you meander through woods and fields and at Zorgvlied we pass a beautiful field of flowers. You see more of these in this area, which is quite special!
After a little over two hours, I steer back into the park. I can rinse off the bike at reception. Despite the dry weather, there is still some dirt on my chain. Well taken care of and the bike can dry in the sun.
Route 2 Drents-Friese Wold and Fochteloërveen
If you can do some beautiful graveling anywhere, it is in the Fochteloërveen. On the border with Friesland and Drenthe, you will find an amazing nature reserve here. One of the best tips I can give right away is to stop at the watchtower 'the seven. This one is not in the given route, but it gives a great view over the Fochteloo nesting area. And it is an architectural masterpiece.
The route I ride on day two is almost 50 kilometres long, so it travels partly through the Wold towards Fochteloërveen. Again, the route picks up so many unpaved paths. So I head towards Appelscha, which first requires crossing the Wold. This is followed by crossing towards Ravenswoud and then you automatically enter the Fochteloërveen. This area managed by Natuurmonumenten is a raised bog consisting mainly of peat mosses. You'll find all kinds of birds here, including cranes, and you have to watch out because you'll also find three species of snakes, which thrive in this wet and nutrient-poor peat colony.
Cycling through it is beautiful. It is a special area, also striking to see that this can just be found in the Netherlands. At the head of the area, you end up on the main road near Veenhuizen. Veenhuizen is a special place to visit. You can take a trip to the Prison Museum here, but if you don't want to just leave your bike outside somewhere, a ride through the main street is already interesting enough to take in the names of the houses as well. Like 'Flink and Swift', 'Learning by Example' or 'Forward'.
Fat tip: if you want a truly Dutch fries, a stop at Piepers and Paupers is a must. Want to have a beer (or drink something else) in a fun setting? Then the Maallust Brewery next door is a fine stop! Just beware: the beers are high in alcohol, so choose carefully ;).
After Veenhuizen, you can ride an extra loop north of the prison village. There you will still find. nice gravel paths, but I myself trek back towards the park. I just miss the lovely 'seven' viewing tower. From there you have a great view over the Fochteloerveen. But on the gravel paths and paved trails I ride, you can see plenty else. Horses, birds, you know. Back home. Because there the warmth of the spacious villa awaits.
Landal Hunerwoldstate on the Drents-Friese Wold
The park is a lovely quiet park, really on the edge of nature. The facilities are in good order, with a reception where you can buy some basic amenities, for the children there are play facilities, there is a bike rental and in summer you can go to the adjacent swimming pond. There is also good cooperation with the neighbouring campsite, where you'll find a restaurant, a swimming pool (which was closed during our stay) and also facilities to wash your clothes for a while.
The house is really lovely and spacious. It is a six-person house with a sauna (which we did not test). The garden around the house is nice and spacious and you have enough shelter from the other houses.
