Norg is a picturesque village in the north of Drenthe. Characterized by a real ‘brink’, where the church is of course the focal point. The village with no more than 3000 inhabitants is a real tourist attraction. Many ‘outlying’ places where you can relax wonderfully after a drive in the sun. If you have a nice cycling route in North Drenthe If you’re looking for something to do, I think you can start well in Norg. The village isn’t without reason the starting point for the famous ‘Battle of Norg’, a major MTB event in the autumn. We rode two routes from Norg, each in a different direction. This route goes towards the southwest. It’s certainly a beauty on a beautiful spring morning.
Forest paths and nature
Drenthe has many places that have been designated as National Parks or Nature Reserves. This means that you will come across many beautiful places on a tour through this northern province. For this cycling route, we head straight to the Langeloërduinen. We ride along beautiful forest paths towards the village of Een. There is only one of them. Please note: the first part of the route is less suitable for large groups. So please take that into account; this is a route for a group of max 3-4 riders.
Colonies of Goodness
From Een, the route heads towards Veenhuizen. Here you will find one of the Colonies of Virtue. It was once established to give the poor a little bit of hope for the future. However, Veenhuizen was one of the ‘closed’ colonies. A prison, where even today there is still a ‘discipline institution’. Veenhuizen is a living museum, with buildings that bear names like ‘Order and Discipline’, ‘Knowledge is Power’ and ’Work Helps Everyone‘. It is more than worth a stop, so if it is on your route, take the time for a leisurely ride through the general’s garden on Boschweg and a visit to the prison museum. Historically very interesting. If you start and end in Veenhuizen, do so at Maalluist.
Fochteloo – Fochteloerveen
Once past the colony, you pass the ‘work’ that the nurses (a nice euphemism) have built in the colony. Fochteloo and the Fochteloerveen are an exception to this. Beautiful nature, a real marshland, with beautiful color combinations and where you can still spot beautiful birds. A must on a cycling route through Drenthe, such a stretch. We drive there on the border between Friesland and Drenthe. The Drentseweg is beautiful. The only drawback is that cars are allowed to drive through it as well. That’s just a shame.
Along this beautiful natural area you turn towards Ravenswoud. This is typically a place where the clearing of the moor is very clearly visible. There are all kinds of ‘Wieken’, the whole village actually arose from the clearing/turf extraction. We drive through the straight streets and along one of the Wieken past the lookout tower ‘de zeven’. From here you head back into the province of Drenthe, on your way to Bovensmilde.
Through the meadows
We continue driving a little bit in a corner towards the bottom of the Fochteloerveen. Then we follow the long N-road back towards Norg. That’s quite doable, although the variant that goes via Westervelde is actually better. You take a left on the kolonievaart, take the first right and then drive past ‘the bad guys’, behind the largest ammunition depot in the Netherlands. Once in Westervelde, you can stop by Hunebed D2. There’s also Hunebed D1 nearby, near Steenbergen, and that’s actually a bit nicer. Via the mill in Norg you return to the Brink, where you have a lovely terrace at ’t Wapen van Norg. That makes for a nice round of 50+ kilometers on the wheels.
If you want to stick to about 30km of it, you can take the A10 towards Oude Willem and then take the National Park Drents-Friese Wold with you. At Diever, you turn back up and drive past the blue lake.
Veenhuizen
This prison town needs some further explanation. It is particularly special to walk around here. Especially when you consider that this used to be a prison colony and that there are still 1000 inmates in the adjacent prison. These are not the brightest criminals. Furthermore, you have all the monumental houses here, with the specific painting and designation. The second institution, where the prison museum is located, also has something special. The cemetery, also called the ’fourth institution’, has something special. The different denominations and ranks and statuses are separate.
If you spend a few hours wandering around here, you can then enjoy a delicious beer at Maallust. The local brewery has a lovely pub where you can also Piepers and Paupers They have really delicious fries and homemade croquettes. There’s also Kaaslust for the cheese lovers. Football club Veenhuizen is next door. Do they have the best third-half team in the Kelderklasse?
Do you want to stay a little longer? Then sleep over. Bitter and sweet, Where you can also enjoy a good meal. Klein Soestdijk is also a beautiful place to spend the night. Maybe a bad joke, but lock your bike properly.
Cycling route North Drenthe
Below you can find the route we took. If you’re looking for more inspiration, you can find it, among other places, via this article by local Nynke, who made the trip with her husband. VAM mountain climbed.
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.