Roden, Langelo, Peest

Everything you think of when you talk about the landscape of Drenthe, you will encounter on this cycle route through cycling province Drenthe. Fragile brook valleys, sturdy primeval forests, picturesque villages of creek and ash trees and, of course, a dolmen cannot be missed.

You can start the route at the Mensingebos car park, near junction 73. The Mensinge forest consists of woods, heathland, a small fen and grasslands and belongs to the manor Mensinge. Just before you arrive at the first junction, you see, half hidden between a group of trees, a watchtower in the shape of a pulpit. Climbing the tower gives you a nice view over the grasslands of Mensinge.

Some of the villages you pass next: Lieveren, the smallest esdorp in the region that already existed in the Middle Ages. Langelo, is a brink village, which is also not large and where farms from the eighteenth century can still be found. Westervelde, Zuidvelde and Peest are all esdorpen with a rich history. For instance, Westervelde, near Norg, has its own dolmen and Peest had an airfield with no less than four runways during the Second World War. The airfield built by the Germans turned out to be far too swampy, so they were only able to use Fliegerhorst Norg once.

Roden is the largest town on this route. It is the birthplace of Ot and Sien, the neighbourhood children invented by writer and teacher Hindericus Scheepstra. The museum dedicated to this twosome and their creator is one of the stopping points on this route.

Apart from history, you can also enjoy the beautiful nature of the Norgerholt, the Noordsche Veld and the Sterrebos during this trip. But also of the wide and green surrounding farmlands. As always, we selected a number of special pitstops that fit in perfectly with this beautiful route through the Drenthe countryside, so that by the end of the trip you will have formed a good and complete picture of this beautiful part of Drenthe.