{"id":22908,"date":"2025-05-24T21:59:54","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T19:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/?p=22908"},"modified":"2025-05-24T21:59:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T19:59:54","slug":"cycling-through-the-drenthe-frieze-forest-from-landal-hunerwoldstate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyclingdestination.cc\/en\/gravel\/fietsen-door-het-drents-friese-wold-vanuit-landal-hunerwoldstate","title":{"rendered":"Cycling through the Drents-Friese Wold from Landal Hunerwoldstate"},"content":{"rendered":"

The north of the Netherlands has a lot of hidden gems, and you\u2019ll 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<\/a>, Groningen<\/a> en Drenthe<\/a>. 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<\/a> depends on the National Park Drents-Friese Wold<\/a>, a beautiful natural area. From here you can create beautiful gravel routes through the National Park Drents-Friese Wold, but also towards Fochtelo\u00ebrveen (another gem), and with a little imagination, De Weerribben and the Dwingelderveld are also within reach. Let\u2019s go for a nice bike ride through the Drents-Friese Wold! With the gravel bike, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In front of the house in Hunerwoldstate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Scottish Highlanders \u2013 typical for Drenthe!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Peace, space and regularity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When we take the A32 off at the Havelte exit, it doesn\u2019t really stand out. We\u2019re just above Meppel here, and it\u2019s still relatively busy. Lots of cars, houses, and businesses. The closer we get to Wateren, at \u2018Hunerwoldstate\u2019, the quieter it gets. The villages get smaller. They all have a characteristic \u2018brink\u2019. 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\u2019s why you\u2019ll also find beautiful gravel paths here. Because you know: the less densely populated, the more sparsely the unpaved paths are dotted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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National Park Drents-Friese Wold<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Landal Hunerwold State<\/a> So it\u2019s 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 Fochtelo\u00ebrveen, and the second is a 59 kilometer route that almost crosses the entire National Park. This is going to be a real treat!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fredriksoord \u2013 the colony<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gravel route 1 \u2013 through the Drents-Friese Wold National Park<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Right at the park, I turn onto the first gravel road. It\u2019s a turn and a turn, and in no time I\u2019m 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\u2019ve also crossed the border with Friesland. Nature doesn\u2019t care about that; it remains just as beautiful. For the trails, you\u2019ll want to go there too: sometimes long stretches of champagne gravel, then sandy patches. Open space, through the forest, undulating, but never really heavy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Poah. You really want this, don't you?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Beautiful wide gravel path in the forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s not what I\u2019m 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 \u2018non-free\u2019 colony Veenhuizen (the prison) originated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Enjoy! That's what you'll see<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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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>. A must-try. It\u2019s worth knowing: along this route you\u2019ll hardly find any restaurants. So bring plenty of food with you! After Frederiksoord you\u2019ll swing through the forest and fields, and at Zorgvlied we\u2019ll pass by a beautiful flower field. You\u2019ll see more of that in this area, and that\u2019s quite special!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Delicious food<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Post office in Frederiksoord<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Colorful interior<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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