Arrival.

You will arrive at Hotel Eeserhof in Ees on your own for your first overnight stay. Early birds can go ahead and explore the surroundings because you can choose from as many as 3 different cycling routes during your stay in Odoorn.

Overnight stay in Ees

Advocate and Hunebed route (57km)

This bike route goes in the direction of Valthe with beautiful Saxon farms. In Exloo there is a sheepfold and flock on the brink and a nice place for a coffee stop. Then you will bike to Borger and you can visit the hunebed center and the Oertijdpark with the largest hunebed in the Netherlands. After lunch in Borger, the route heads towards Gasselternijveen and you can get acquainted with the Drents Roomkaatje at farmer's wife Agnes. She crafts a soft cream avocado in five different flavors. Exhibition farm Versteend Leven near Drouwen has a large assortment of minerals, jewelry and shells from around the world for you to admire.
At the tail end of this trail, it is pleasant to relax in the woods at the Poolshoogte teahouse. Here you can take a look at the area from above. What a View!

OR

The Orvelte route (51km)

This bike route is full of cultural history of Southeast Drenthe. A nice get-off point is the outdoor museum Ellert and Brammert. Through the Oranjekanaal near Wezuperbrug, the route goes to one of the most beautiful villages in the Netherlands: Orvelte is also called the "Primal Village" of Drenthe. Here you will experience history first hand! As if you were stepping right into the past. Orvelte is also a nice lunch spot. A selection of delicacies such as a Drenthe cake from our own bakery can be found at lunch café the Schenkerij & Lunch.

After Orvelte, the route continues to the Orvelte Field and Sheep Park. A visit to the Ceramic Garden gallery Harwi with its spacious sculpture garden is highly recommended. At the end of the trail, you will pass the observation tower at Poolshoogte teahouse; a wonderful place for a drink and a look at the area from above. What a view!

OR

Ellertsveld route (60 km)

On this route, you will bike directly toward Schoonoord. Along the way, you will pass the Ellert and Brammert Open Air Museum. The Ellerts Field was once the wild area where a Drenthe folktale took place. This is where the predatory giants Ellert and Brammert lived. At the Open Air Museum you will learn all about the cultural history of Southeast Drenthe, such as the plaggen huts that people lived in. Via the Sleenerzand and the Schapendijk, you cycle through the brink villages of Sleen and Erm. You continue your way through the Ermerstrand towards the center of Emmen. Enjoy Emmen's new square on one of its many terraces, or take a rest at Rensen Park. From Emmen, you bike right into the nature of the Valtherbos. There are numerous burial mounds and three dolmens here. If you look closely, you can even find a hiding place from World War II. This is definitely worth seeing!

Overnight stay in Ees

Ees – Orvelte – Zorgvlied (62km)

Back in time! You will cycle today via the Oranjekanaal near Wezuperbrug to the museum village of Orvelte. Orvelte is one of the oldest villages in the Netherlands and, according to connoisseurs, one of the most beautifully preserved. The distinctive Drenthe esdorpen landscapes of high-lying villages with brinken, essen and low-lying meadows and hay fields, are still clearly visible here. The villages still have the same structure as around 1900 with many thatched farmhouses.

During the last part of this route you cycle through the National Park Drents-Friese Wold is among the most beautiful and important nature reserves of a Europe.

Overnight in Zorgvlied

Drents-Friese Wold route (53km)

Today you will cycle almost all day through the Drents-Friese Wold National Park past historic sites. In the Koloniën van Weldadigheid, created in 1818, you can enjoy a unique, but unfortunately hardly known to anyone, piece of history of the Netherlands. Poor and unemployed people were taken care of here and offered a meaningful existence. Highly recommended is a visit to the museum "the Trial Colony" Here, with appealing video presentations, everything is told about the genesis. It is as if you are not watching the movie, but are in it yourself.

OR

High moorland route (52km)

Beautiful bike paths lead you along the sand drifts of the Aekingerzand and across the heathland of the high moor Fochleloërveen, both located in the National Park Drents-Friese Wold. This raised bog is found only in this area. In the rest of Europe, it disappeared entirely due to excavation and use as fuel. What remains is a unique piece of nature and habitat for flora and fauna. Veenhuizen was also part of the Colony of Weldadigheid, but here people were imprisoned. A visit to the prison museum is well worthwhile.
Lovers of craft brewed beer can visit beer brewery Maallust near Veenhuizen. Beer brewers Carina and Gert brew flavorful and authentic beers with dedication and passion.

Overnight in Zorgvlied

Arrival.

You will arrive at Hotel Eeserhof in Ees on your own for your first overnight stay. Early risers can go ahead and explore the surroundings because you can choose from 2 different cycling routes during your stay in Ees.

Overnight stay in Ees

The Orvelte route (51 km)

Back in time! Through the Oranjekanaal near Wezuperbrug, the route leads to the museum village of Orvelte. Orvelte is also called the "Primal Village" of Drenthe. Here you will experience history first hand! The forge, clogmaker and dairy are still in regular use. Here you will still find the old village pub and the cute candy shop of yesteryear. As if you were stepping right into the past. Orvelte is also a nice lunch spot. A selection of delicacies such as a Drenthe cake from our own bakery can be found at lunch café the Schenkerij & Lunch.

After Orvelte, the route continues to the Orvelte Field and Sheep Park. A visit to the Ceramic Garden gallery Harwi with its spacious sculpture garden is highly recommended. At the end of the trail, you will pass the observation tower at Poolshoogte teahouse; a wonderful place for a drink and a look at the area from above. What a view!

OR

Ellertsveld route (60 km)

On this route, you will bike directly toward Schoonoord. Along the way, you will pass the Ellert and Brammert Open Air Museum. The Ellerts Field was once the wild area where a Drenthe folktale took place. This is where the predatory giants Ellert and Brammert lived. At the Open Air Museum you will learn all about the cultural history of Southeast Drenthe, such as the plaggen huts that people lived in. Via the Sleenerzand and the Schapendijk, you cycle through the brink villages of Sleen and Erm. You continue your way through the Ermerstrand towards the center of Emmen. Enjoy Emmen's new square on one of its many terraces, or take a rest at Rensen Park. From Emmen, you bike right into the nature of the Valtherbos. There are numerous burial mounds and three dolmens here. If you look closely, you can even find a hiding place from World War II. This is definitely worth seeing!

Overnight stay in Ees

Ees – Zuidlaren (53km)

You will cycle today to the next hotel in Zuidlaren. In Exloo there is a sheepfold and flock on the brink and several nice places for a coffee stop. Then the route continues to Borger where you can visit the hunebed center with the largest hunebed in the Netherlands. After Borger and the Drouwenerzand, you will make your way to Gasselternijveen and pass Boerin Agnes. She traditionally makes a soft cream cheese in five different flavors.

The Drentsche Aa National Park is truly beautiful: the best-preserved stream-esque village landscape in Western Europe where streams still follow a natural course as they have for many thousands of years. The bike route ends in Zuidlaren. The village of Berend Botje is the greenest village in Europe and has no fewer than 10 village greens and many beautiful country houses.

Overnight in Zuidlaren

Zuidlaardermeer route (57km)

Today the Zuidlaardermeer area is the backdrop of today's bike route. Zuidlaardermeer. This lake area is under European protection and the oldest and largest lake in Drenthe. The lake is thousands of years old and was created by an interaction of ebb and flow on the peat in the area. It is a very bird-rich area with a unique tidal marsh and patches of grassland with many meadow birds.

Also, the bike tour goes through Groningen, a beautiful and vibrant city. There is an abundance of restaurants and cozy cafes. The Groninger Museum with modern architecture is highly recommended.

Overnight in Zuidlaren

Zuidlaren – Zorgvlied (57km)

You cycle through wooded surroundings of the National Landscape Drentsche AA along the Balloërveld. The predominant heath and grassy moorland vegetation is sometimes interspersed with bog lakes and some small sand drifts. On the Balloërveld, in addition to the large sand and heathlands, burial mounds and medieval cart tracks can be seen. You truly cycle for a moment here in another world. Rolde is a cozy brink village and rich in places of interest. Less than 200 meters apart are dolmens D17 and D18. The capital of Drenthe, Assen is a great place for lunch.

Hotel Villa Nova is an attractive hotel in a beautiful location on the edge the National Park the Drents Friese Wold.

Overnight in Zorgvlied

Drents-Friese Wold route (58km)

Today you cycle almost the entire day through the Drents-Friese Wold National Park past historical sites.
In the Koloniën van Weldadigheid, founded in 1818, you can enjoy a unique, but unfortunately hardly known to anyone, piece of Dutch history. Poor and unemployed people were taken care of here and offered a meaningful existence. Highly recommended is a visit to the museum "the Trial Colony" Here, with appealing video presentations, everything is told about the genesis. It is as if you are not watching the movie, but are in it yourself.

OR

High moorland route (52km)

Beautiful bike paths lead you along the sand drifts of the Aekingerzand and across the heathland of the high moor Fochleloërveen, both located in the National Park Drents-Friese Wold. This raised bog is found only in this area. In the rest of Europe, it disappeared entirely due to excavation and use as fuel. What remains is a unique piece of nature and habitat for flora and fauna. Veenhuizen was also part of the Colony of Weldadigheid, but here people were imprisoned. A visit to the prison museum is well worthwhile.

Lovers of craft brewed beer can visit beer brewery Maallust near Veenhuizen. Beer brewers Carina and Gert brew flavorful and authentic beers with dedication and passion.

Overnight in Zorgvlied