Mantingerveld and Hoogeveense Venen
Cycling in a primeval landscape with heaths, prehistoric forests, sand drifts, and centuries-old juniper thickets.
The Landscape
Thousands of years ago, the Hoogeveense Venen consisted of inaccessible raised bog marshes. Today, it is a highly diverse landscape where cultivated lands and authentic natural areas harmoniously succeed each other. The Mantingerveld is a remarkable nature reserve that exemplifies the open heath landscape of Drenthe. By merging various small nature reserves, a large contiguous heath landscape has been created here, allowing nature to restore itself to its original splendor. The characteristic rectangular shapes in the peat colonial Hoogeveense Venen are the result of centuries of peat extraction. This area is intersected by straight canals, waterways, roads, and peat colony villages. Boswachterij Gees is an expansive nature reserve spanning 1,600 hectares, established in the 1930s. Here you will predominantly find beautiful deciduous forests, interspersed with heathlands and fens. The natural beauty seamlessly transitions into a restored stream valley landscape featuring a flow-through marsh, hay meadows, and a bird-rich lake.
Forests and Heaths
Polders and Farmlands
Swamps and Peatlands
Bike with us
Route map
You will bike in the vicinity of the towns of Nieuw-Balinge, Hoogeveen, Nieuweroord, Gees, and Hollandscheveld.
Start and finish near bike node 14 on the Marten Kuilerweg in Hollandscheveld. However, this bike route is a circular tour, so it offers the possibility to start from any of the following bike nodes.
14 - 50 - 78 - 79 - 81 - 83 - 61 - 69 - 63 - 85 - 99 - 60 - 64 - 62 - 18 - 24 - 38 - 37 - 16 - 14
