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Discovering Drenthe

Freedom Holiday Self Guided Grading Level 1
8 days/7 nights Price - £580pp Tour Code NL016
 

Drenthe is the pre-eminent cycling province of the Netherlands. Nowhere else in the Netherlands will you find a network of cycle paths that is as dense as in this area, with its abundance in forests and heath. Also, Drenthe is one of the least populated areas of the Netherlands. The beauty of the landscape and the magic of the ancient culture of Drenthe are extraordinary.

Here you will find age-old farmyards and villages, where, as it seems, time has stood still. Once you have passed a village, you will be riding through forests and heath where you will come across the so called ‘hunebedden’ (dolmen) in the open countryside. After one week of touring, you will only want one thing - that this part of the Netherlands should never change.

 

Includes

  • 7 nights in 3 star hotels (based on 2 people sharing)
  • 7 x breakfast
  • Bike hire
  • Luggage transfer
  • Maps and route information

Excludes

  • Flights
  • Cycling Helmets

Optional extras

  • Insurance £22pp
  • Single supplement £155 (£200 if travelling alone)
  • Half board option £190pp
  • Extra night in Giethoorn £50pp
  • Extra night in Norg £50pp

How to get there

  • Fly to Amsterdam from main airports and many regional airports, e.g. Norwich and Southampton. Then a train and bus to Giethoorn.
  • Ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland and then a train and bus to Giethoorn.
  • Eurostar to Brussels and then a train and bus to Giethoorn via Amsterdam
  • By car - If you plan to drive please inform us so that parking can be arranged
  • A good website for trains in Holland is www.ns.nl
 
Departure Dates in 2010 - Any day from 1st April to 31st October
 
To book this holiday CLICK HERE
 
Daily Itinerary
 
This tour may operate in reverse direction depending upon availability
 

Day 1: Arrive Giethoorn.

Arrive at Schiphol Airport and take a train and bus to the picturesque village of Giethoorn, also called ‘Venice of the North’.

Day 2: Circular tour from Giethoorn, 0 or 37 miles (0 or 60km).

Today you can rent the traditional Giethoorn ‘punter’, similar to the gondola in Venice. Take a cycle tour through the wildlife sanctuary De Weerribben, a marshland with many small islands. Whatever route you take, you will constantly enjoy the magnificent panorama of these unique wetlands.

Day 3: Giethoorn to Dwingeloo, 37 miles (60km).

In Havelte you will enter the green and spacious province of Drenthe and pass many Saxon farms. You will cycle along the Havelterberg, a hill where you will find two dolmen - colossal stones stacked on top of each other. The tour continues across the heather fields of Holtinge. Between Vledder and Doldersum, in the Koelingsveld, you will cycle past burial mounds dating from between 1000 and 500 years BC. The end of the tour will be Dwingeloo.

Day 4: Dwingeloo to Westerbork, 41 miles (65km).

Your cycling starts across vast heather fields and not very long after that you will be immersed in the dense Smilde forests. You will leave these forests in Diever, then through beautiful villages such as Lhee, the route heads east for the Dwingelderveld National Park. Cycling along serene countryside roads, you will reach Westerbork.

Day 5: Circular ride from Westerbork, 0 or 41 miles (0 or 65km).

There are a lot of things you can do today. Learn about the history of Drenthe in Orvelte. The whole village is a museum! The dairy factory that was established in 1899 still produces organic cheese. There’s more than one choice in cycle tours today.

Day 6: Westerbork to Norg, 44 miles (70km).

Today’s route is maybe the most beautiful one in the program. From Westerbork the route goes north across the Hijkerveld, a diverse wildlife sanctuary. Next, you continue along the northeast flank of the Drents-Friese Wold National Park before cycling right through the Fochteloërveen. After leaving the beautiful heather fields, you will arrive in Veenhuizen. You will continue your tour through Westervelde, from where Norg is now within easy reach.

Day 7: Circular ride from Norg, 0 or 31 miles (0 or 50km).

Relax in your hotel or cycle to Groningen, one of the most beautiful cities in the Netherlands. On the way you will cycle alongside magnificent lakes such as the Leekstermeer and the Paterswoldsemeer.

Day 8: Departure from Norg.

 

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