Holiday apartment in De Wolden – Dwingelderveld, trails and culture

De Wolden can be explored through distinctive landscapes, historic places and unusual experiences. One particularly characteristic natural landscape is the Nationaal Park Dwingelderveld, while Echten, Ruinen, Ruinerwold and other places bring together historic traces, trails and regional features.

Nature

The Nationaal Park Dwingelderveld is the largest wet heathland area in Western Europe. In this landscape, wet depressions, known as slenken, alternate with high sandy ridges. It includes heathland, woodland, juniper scrub, drifting sand and more than forty fens.

In the Dwingelderveld, visitors can go hiking, cycling, running and horse riding, as well as birdwatching from observation huts and behind screens. The Dwingelderveld observation tower rises nine metres above the surrounding terrain and offers views across the heathland and fens of the Nationaal Park Dwingelderveld.

The landscape is also home to the Schaapskudde Ruinen, with around 300 Drentse Heath sheep. At the Schaapskooi Ruinen, visitors are welcome every day to watch the sheep set out or return. The Dwingelderveld visitor centre is located in Ruinen and serves as a starting point for exploring the area.

Trails and experiences

The signposted Echtener Esch walking route is around 13 kilometres long and leads around Echten through the Boswachterij Ruinen forest. The route starts at the farm shop 't Huus met de belle, where ample parking is available.

For the Roekpad, visitors can park free of charge a little further away in the car park at Visio Echten; the starting point is not particularly easy to reach by public transport. The Roekpad is an approximately 1-kilometre-long experience trail that engages all five senses. The texts on the information panels are also available in Braille for blind and visually impaired people.

The Belevingsbos Kerkenveld is a play, activity, walking and experience forest with birdhouses and a theatre in the woods. Another way to get to know the landscape is the Boerenlandschappen cycling route, which can, among other places, be started at the Museumboerderij Karstenhoeve in Ruinerwold.

Culture

The historic buitenplaats is located on the eastern edge of the village of Echten, after which it is named, in the valley of the Oude Diep, also known as the Echtener Stroom. Because of its age, its scenic location in the Oude Diep valley and the largely preserved basic structure of the estate, the historic buitenplaats Echten is of general cultural and historical importance. Huize Echten is a historic havezate with medieval roots.

The churches also tell the story of different building phases. The Bartholomeuskerk in Blijdenstein was originally a Romanesque church, was remodelled in the 15th century and extended with a northern aisle in the 16th century. The Mariakerk in Ruinen is a Gothic church from the 12th century and originally belonged to the Benedictine monastery of Ruinen.

The Museumboerderij De Karstenhoeve is an authentic 17th-century farm. Its exhibits include historic rooms, agricultural tools, carriages and changing exhibitions. For example, it offers “koffie mit Roeffie”: a tray with pear cake, pear liqueur and a piece of Roeffie cake made according to a recipe from Ruinerwold.

The Museumboerderij Pasmans Huus uses its historic furnishings to convey an impression of domestic life around 1900. Exhibits include traditional costume bonnets and old agricultural equipment. The Museum De Wemme presents a completely new exhibition every year; a small part of its unique handcart collection is also on display.

The Korenmolen De Zaandplatte is a working windmill that is often in operation. Used books and flour are sold in the mill.

Landscape and places

The approximately 7.5-kilometre-long and 1.5-kilometre-wide Dubbellint of Ruinerwold is characterised by two parallel bands of development in an almost open landscape. In April, the approximately 1,400 blossoming pear trees along the Dokter de Larijweg, on the Havelterbergroute, provide a particularly striking sight. In the Dubbellint of Ruinerwold, “Perenpluk” is scheduled for the first Saturday in October.

Other places in De Wolden: Zuidwolde, Linde, Koekange, Ansen, Drogteropslagen and Veeningen.

To the higher-level travel overview: Drenthe.