Holtingerveld and Colonies of Benevolence
Cycling in a landscape with dark forests, vast moors, idyllic fens, beautiful sand drifts, and ancient burial sites.
The Landscape
This cycling route takes you through a beautiful landscape shaped by history. Around 150,000 years ago, shifting ice sheets sculpted the terrain into gently rolling hills, which were later lushly covered with expansive forests and heathlands. Together with sand drifts, fens, and pastures, these elements shape the landscape you see today.
But the history of this area doesn’t end there. Nature and cultural heritage have always gone hand in hand here. Prehistoric burial mounds, dolmens, war memorials, and the Colonies of Benevolence are tangible reminders of a remarkable past. Old Saxon farms, historic buildings, charming village greens, and quiet country lanes complete the typical Drenthe landscape.
Forests and Heaths
Estates and Heritage
Polders and Farmlands
Lakes and Ponds
Cycle with us through past and present
Cycling stories of dolmens, Messerschmitts, and toiling newcomers
This video tells the story of prehistoric dolmens, social ideals, and the lingering traces of the Second World War. The 53-kilometre cycling route through the Holtingerveld and along the Colonies of Benevolence leads you through a landscape rich in history. Here, archaeological treasures, wartime heritage, and visionary social experiments blend into a captivating journey through time and nature. Tip: Turn on the subtitles in the YouTube video to follow the story.
Route map
Start and finish near bike node 10 on theHunebeddenweg in Darp. However, this bike route is a circular tour, so it offers the possibility to start from any of the following bike nodes.
10 - 8 - 52 - 74 - 3 - 77 - 75 - 37 - 33 - 35 - 24 - 27 - 43 - 25 - 48 - 49 - 42 - 92 - 90 - 91 - 13 - 2 - 55 - 99 - 36 - 34 - 18 - 10
