Holiday apartment in Wapse: Trails, history and nature

Wapse combines the landscape of Drents-Friese Wold National Park with a rich village history and a variety of trails. Those looking for a holiday apartment in Wapse will find different ways to plan memorable days together: hikes through forests and along sandy paths, cycling tours past historic farms and insights into the development of an Esdorp.

Forests, trails and wide-open fields

The 42-kilometre Wapse rond recreational cycling route passes through Wapse and along Drents-Friese Wold National Park. For longer hikes, the national park offers more than 130 kilometres of walking trails, divided into over 30 marked circular routes. A large part of the Ommetje Potties Bargen runs there between pine forests and along quiet sandy paths. Potties Bargen is considered a historic burial mound site and is associated with the designation Hunebed D52a.

The Wapser Ommetje Hoge Haar connects open fields, old wooded hedgerows, a former dairy and a primary school. The sandy path near Nijenhof runs between pastures and hedgerows and conveys the historic atmosphere of the Esdorp landscape. The Wapser Boermarke Route passes old farmhouses belonging to the medieval farming communities that make up Wapse.

Village history between dairy and esch

Wapse is an Esdorp that originated in the early Middle Ages. A particularly tangible testimony to the village’s development is the former cooperative butter and dairy factory Ons Belang on Ten Darperweg. Since the end of the 19th century, it played an important role in the village and the surrounding farming community. The cooperative dairy opened in 1897 and produced butter, cheese and milk there until 1970.

North of Wapse, Wapserzand forms part of Drents-Friese Wold National Park. There is a hiding place from the Second World War where wounded resistance fighters were cared for. After the occupying forces destroyed the hiding place, it was later rebuilt and fitted with a memorial plaque. South of Wapse lies the large Binnenesch, surrounded by farmhouses that together belong to five Kluften. In Ten Have, the Binnenesch bears witness to more than 1,200 years of farming by the farmers of Wapse.

The school on Ten Darperweg is also part of the local history. In 1874, it received a new building on this road, still exists today and is called Ten Darperschoele.

Bakkersveentie is Wapse’s animal park. During a hike, walkers can observe the animals there. Another notable landmark is the Wapse observation tower behind Camping Noorderveld. From there, the view extends across Wapse’s arable fields. This makes it possible to combine nature observation, village trails and open landscapes in different daily itineraries, without any single outing defining the character of the place.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Wapse, you can take into account the combination of hiking, cycling and village history you want. For the Hoge Haar Route, cars and bicycles can be parked at the Wapse village community centre. Via Kerkenkampsweg, you can reach Drents-Friese Wold National Park directly from Wapse on foot or by bicycle. On Ten Darperweg, at the level of the school, there is a bus stop with connections towards Diever and Steenwijk.

Discover more places

From Wapse, you can also discover Doldersum, Wilhelminaoord, Wateren, Zorgvlied, Wapserveen, Dieverbrug, Nijensleek and Havelte.

To the main travel overview: Westerveld.