Cycling route Hunze Valley and Peat Colonies
Cycling through a diverse landscape of wet forests, marshes, grasslands, canals, ditches, winding streams and vast open fields.
The Landscape
The Hunze Valley near Gieten and Borger is a characteristic stream valley in eastern Drenthe, where the meandering Hunze flows through open meadows and green nature reserves. Wetlands, alder carrs and species-rich wet grasslands contrast with higher sandy soils featuring historic esch fields, quiet paths and traces of early settlement, creating a landscape rich in nature, history and water.
Near Stadskanaal, the route enters the Dutch Peat Colonies, an open landscape of long canals, drainage ditches and ribbon villages. Peat extraction in the 17th and 18th centuries shaped the region, while wide fields, historic farmhouses, small bridges and locks still reflect its unique peat and canal heritage.
What You’ll Discover Along the Way
On the higher sandy grounds around Gieten, you cycle past forest edges and heathlands, with sheltered stretches that gradually open up into wide spaces and distant views.
Beyond the higher sandy grounds, the landscape opens into the fields and meadows of the Peat Colonies. Long sightlines and straight land divisions give this part of the route an open and spacious character.
In the lower parts of the Hunze Valley, you cycle past wet grasslands and peat areas. These moist zones highlight the influence of water and give the landscape a quiet and natural character.
The Hunze and its tributaries shape the landscape and add variety to the scenery, from narrow meanders to broader waterways that create a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
Virtual Cycling Through the Hunze Valley and the Peat Colonies
Experience the Hunze Valley with its meandering streams, wet meadows, peatland edges and historic esch fields. The route continues through the Dutch Peat Colonies, featuring long canals, linear villages, wide farmland and historic bridges, locks and farmhouses that reflect the region's peat-cutting heritage.
Want to learn more about virtual cycling? This is how virtual cycling works
Route map and cycling junctions
Start and finish near cycling junction 41 on the Hunebedstraat in Borger. Because this is a circular route, you can also start at one of the other cycling junctions along the route.
Distance: 55 km
Estimated riding time: 3 hours 39 minutes
Elevation gain: 69 m
Paved roads: 95%
Unpaved / semi-paved: 5%
Ideal for: e-bikes and city bikes
Along the way: several options for a coffee break or lunch.
