Scharreveld

3 hour 33 minutes (16.0 km)

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  • Meadows, fields and forests. You will pass the hamlets of Lieving, Makkum and Holthe in Drenthe and enjoy the Holtherzand and Scharreveld nature reserves. Take a break on the viewing hill and look out over the Scharreveld.

    The 17-kilometre ‘Scharreveld’ trail runs from Beil…

    Meadows, fields and forests. You will pass the hamlets of Lieving, Makkum and Holthe in Drenthe and enjoy the Holtherzand and Scharreveld nature reserves. Take a break on the viewing hill and look out over the Scharreveld.

    The 17-kilometre ‘Scharreveld’ trail runs from Beilen to the Holterzand and Scharreveld nature reserves, passing by several small villages before going back to Beilen. A shorter version of the trail only passes through the Holterzand. For a delicious snack or a refreshing drink during your hike, there are plenty of opportunities at the start and end of the trail in Beilen.

    From Beilen, you walk directly into the countryside through the hamlet of Lieving, passing by small farms, large farms and homes. After crossing the Beilerstroom, you will saunter along a lovely country road, enjoying the vistas that present themselves through the trees. You will walk from the Lieving hamlet to the small village of Makkum and pass a lake in the Holtherzand.

    A little further on, you can shorten the trail if you want and return to Beilen. If you want more, continue to the Scharreveld nature reserve. Take a break on the viewing hill and revel in fantastic view. From this area of outstanding natural beauty, you then return to the Holtherzand, where the trail could be shortened.

    Passing through the hamlet of Holthe, as well as Beilen and Makkum, you will reach the hamlet of Lieving, next to Beilen.

    Sights on this route

    Starting point: Stationslaan 9
    9411 PS Beilen
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    Makkum is a very small hamlet; in 1910, it had 19 houses, including the mill. There aren’t many more houses today, and the mill is still standing. Apart from the mill, there’s a campsite called De Molenhorst. A walking route through Holthe, Makkum and

    Makkum
    End point: Stationslaan 9
    9411 PS Beilen

    Directions

    Starting point: Stationslaan 9
    9411 PS Beilen
    • Beilen is first mentioned in 1139, and in 1331, the Court of Beilen belonged to the lord of Borculo. In the Middle Ages, Beilen grew into the main city of the Beiler Dingspel, one of the six judicial regions of Drenthe. St. Stephen’s church, Beilen’s ancient gothic church, was also built around the same time. After the construction of the Groningen-Zwolle railway line in 1870, Beilen experienced a period of major growth. In the early 20th century, Beilen also welcomed the Beileroord psychiatric hospital and what would later become the Drentse Ondermelk Organisatie (the Drenthe Skim Milk Organisation, or DOMO). After the Second World War, DOMO became one of the Netherlands’ largest dairy cooperatives.
    • The trail starts at the train station on the outskirts of Beilen. Walking along the Oosterstraat, you will quickly find yourself in the countryside and pass the Beilerstroom, a little canalised river that rises on the Drenthe Plateau between Orvelte and Westerbork and flows into the Meppelerdiep in Meppel. Near Westerbork, the river is known as the Westerborker stroom, before turning into the Beilerstroom just before Beilen. In the Dwingeloo area, the river is called the Dwingelerstroom. To the south of Dieverbrug, it bends south, after which it is known as the Oude Vaart or the Oude Smildervaart.
    • Just past the Beilerstroom, you turn left into a narrow, wooded side road. There, amidst the meadows, is a small swamp grove that is closed to the public: Baarwelsleek. This grove is an important resting place for wildlife. Continue towards the Scharreveld nature reserve. The hamlets of Lieving and Makkum almost merge entirely into one another. Makkum is first mentioned in the 14th century. Its striking corn mill was moved here in 1906, after having served as a polder mill in De Groeve, a village just outside Zuidlaren and on the shores of the Zuidlaardermeer.
    • You then arrive at the Holtherzand, where you can shorten the trail and walk back to Beilen.
    • If you’re hungry for more, continue to the Scharreveld nature reserve, which covers an area of more than 275 hectares. Revel in the beautiful vistas from the Scharreveld viewing hill. Originally, the Scharreveld consisted of four separate sections of heathland, of which the Holtherzand and Boekweitenplas are the best known. Holtherzand is mainly made up of dry heathland, whereas the other sections, including the Boekweitenplas (named after the buckwheat grown there) are mainly composed of wet heathland.
    • After a nice lap around the Scharreveld, you will return to the point where the trail could be shortened,
    • before walking through the hamlet of Holthe. This place was mentioned by Otto, the bishop of Utrecht, in 1217, in his confirmation of the possessions of the Ruinen monastery. The town’s name has seen numerous different spellings over the years, such as Holt in 1292 and Holte in 1387. The current spelling, Holthe, has been in use since the 17th century.
    • Walking through the hamlet of Lieving again, you retrace the steps you took at the start of the trail, just before reaching the Beilerstroom.
    • Finally, you make your way back to the train station, where the ‘Scharreveld’ trail comes to an end. Sit back and relax in one of the many great local cafés or restaurants and look back at this beautiful hike.
    End point: Stationslaan 9
    9411 PS Beilen