The Landscape

After the last Ice Age, the climate grew warmer and wetter, creating vast wetlands in the river valleys of Drenthe and Groningen. Here, peat moss slowly developed into an impressive raised bog stretching from the Hunze to the Ems River. In the Middle Ages, the Bourtangermoeras covered as much as 300,000 hectares, with peat layers up to 12 meters thick in some places. Over the centuries, this unique landscape was dug up for peat extraction, making way for agriculture and forests. Today, the area invites you to explore its rich history and stunning natural beauty.

The Bargerveen is the only large, still living part of the original Bourtangermoeras that has been preserved. This nature reserve covers over 2,000 hectares and contains one of the last remaining patches of living raised bog in the Netherlands. The landscape is characterized by high peat hummocks, vast fields of peat moss, marshes, wet woodlands, and small lakes, creating a diverse environment in an almost untouched and remote area.

Bossen en Heide

Forests and Heaths

Moerassen en Venen

Estates and Heritage

Rivieren en Beken

Polders and Farmlands

Landgoed en Erfgoed

Swamps and Peatlands

Join us on this virtual cycling route

Virtual cycling through Veenland and Bargerveen

Route map

Start and finish near bike node 33 on the Ambachtsweg in Weiteveen. However, this bike route is a circular tour, so it offers the possibility to start from any of the following bike nodes.

33 - 61 - 98 - 63 - 85 - 67 - 64 - 94 - 93 - 95 - 65 - 1 - 53 - 51 - 50 - 56 - 75 - 73 - 72 - 99 - 60 - 59 - 32 - 33

  • 78% of the route runs on paved roads. 
  • 22% of the route runs on unpaved and semi-paved paths. 

MORE INFO ABOUT ROAD AND SURFACE CONDITIONS

47
Kilometers
189
Minutes
69
Elevation meters