Beilerdingspel

Directions

• The history of Beilen and its surrounding area goes back a long way: people already lived here about 20,000 years ago. In 1955, a major archaeological find was made in Beilen, when large quantities of sand were brought in for the construction of the new craft school. Amidst all this sand, the ‘treasure of Beilen’ was found, consisting of 4th-century AD Roman coins (soldi) and gold jewellery. Today, the treasure can be admired in the Drents Museum in Assen.
• Beilen is an esdorp village that first arose on Drenthe’s higher-lying sandy soils in the early Middle Ages. Since its earliest beginnings, the village was situated on the road from Meppel to Groningen. In the Middle Ages, Drenthe was divided into 6 large administrative units: the so-called dingspels, including the Beilerdingspel. The church village developed into the capital of the dingspel of the same name. In 1820, a major fire raged in Beilen, depriving it of its original agricultural character. After the Second World War, the village expanded, particularly on the eastern and southern sides.
•  The reformed church at Prins Bernhardstraat 1 was first mentioned in 1139. The current Gothic church was built around the year 1500 and was originally dedicated to St. Stephen. Stylistically speaking, the tower is considered to belong to the so-called Drenthe tower family of Johan die Werckmeyster. In 1607, the entire building - apart from the walls - was destroyed by a fire, followed by a period of recovery. The church was restored in 1937 and 1990.
• Now leave Beilen, cycling southwards. The first nature reserve you will encounter is Terhorsterzand, which spans approximately 181 hectares. This area was originally a sand drift that was partially ‘secured’ by the planting of pines in 1900. The Terhorstenzand can be divided into two parts, one of which is privately owned and one of which belongs to the State Forestry Commission. It is a small, but varied area featuring sand drifts, peat bog remnants, dry and wet heathland with a fen (Makkumerplas) and juniper scrub. The northern part is home to a shallow swamp pond and the heathland is grazed by sheep and young cattle. This varied area serves as the habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna, and because of this great variety, it is an area of considerable scientific significance.
• Now leave the Terhorsterzand and cycle towards Spier, where you can take a brief break in one of its many restaurants and cafés. You can also choose to wait until after you cross the viaduct over the A28 motorway at the Natuurpoort Spier, one of the entrances to the Dwingelerveld. This is where you will find the Boslounge Spier, a restaurant and information centre about the area. Just outside the Boslounge, children can have a ball in the play paradise.
• Get back on your bike to experience all the Dwingelderveld as to offer. You will cycle along the path named Drenthe’s most beautiful cycle path in 2017: the Commissaris Cramerpad. There is always something to experience in Western Europe’s largest area of wet heathland. You may spot a kestrel high in the sky, see a common adder on the cycle path, or hear a skylark or crane singing in the distance. Wet gullies and dry sand ridges alternate, allowing for highly varied flora and fauna. Fens formed in the deeper parts, some of which are pingo ruins. In the ice age, an underground ice lens melted, forming a bowl with a small ridge.
• Once you leave the Dwingelderveld, you can continue at a good pace, as you pass the valley of the Beilerstroom. The vistas here are overwhelming. After passing the Beilerstroom, you will arrive at the next nature reserve: the Brunstinger plassen, an area with old sand drifts and barren heathland, as well as some beautiful fens.
• Having only just recovered from all that natural beauty, you will pedal past the Zuid Hijkerzand, a large swathe of heathland owned by the State Forestry Commission. The heather here blooms from mid-August to mid-September and earned its nickname ‘purple splendour’ for a reason.
• As you cycle past the Oranjekanaal, you will reach the village of Oranje, which grew around a former Avebe potato starch factory that has been closed since the mid-1980s.
• Get off your bike at the bridge over the canal and take in the view. Jump back on the bike and head towards the Hijkerveld, a vast moorland with dozens of fens and peat remnants. There are many traces of prehistoric habitation on and around the Hijkerveld, such as burial mounds from the Stone, Bronze and Iron Age. From the finds, we can infer that the Hijkerveld has been inhabited from the Stone Age until Roman times.
• After passing the A28 motorway, you will arrive in the esdorp village of Hooghalen, which stands atop a salt mound. Here, you can take another break to explore the restaurants and cafés in the Hoofdstraat.
• The last nature reserve you will cycle through on this trail is the Heuvinger Zand, and old sand drift area that was once created due to overgrazing. People sought to secure the drifting sand by planting trees, which created a beautiful, varied forest in the course of time. Here and there, you can still come across small sand drifts.
• After this final nature reserve, you will cycle back towards Beilen through open countryside with fields and meadows, speeding towards your reward: a drink and a tasty snack on a patio terrace.