Drents-Friese Wold National Park

Drents-Friese Wold National Park is an interesting and attractive national park located in the northern Netherlands. Sitting astride the border of Friesland and Drenthe provinces, this large park has a variety of terrain including sand dunes, forests, grasslands, and heathlands too. There’s a fascinating array of things to see and do in Drents-Friese Wold National Park, so let’s dive in for a closer look at this unusual area.

TRIVIA:
❒ Official name: Drents-Friese Wold National Park (Nationaal Park Drents-Friese Wold)
❒ Established: 2000
❒ Size: 6100 ha
❒ Location: Drenthe, Friesland

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About Drents-Friese Wold National Park

Clocking in at an impressive 6,100 hectares, Drents-Friese Wold National Park is one of the larger national parks in The Netherlands. The park is situated in a sparsely populated area, directly on the border between the provinces of Drenthe and Friesland. Despite the isolation, however, it’s less than an hour from the city of Groningen, and closer still to other large centres like Heerenveen, Assen, and Hoogeveen.

There’s quite a fascinating history here, as the Drents-Friese Wold area has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. Ancient burial mounds and hunebeds (tombstones) can still be seen near Diever, Oude Willem, and Vledder. Over the centuries, much of the land was used for grazing and agriculture (what’s known locally as an esdorp landscape), but excessive sheep grazing created large sand dunes in the 19^th century, and most farmers left the area. To combat the increasing sand problem, forests were planted across the region, leaving us with the delightful landscape we see today – one of the largest woodlands in the Netherlands.

In addition to the beautiful woodlands, there’s a great variety of animals here too. Birds are particularly common, as an assortment of marsh, forest, and meadow birds are regularly seen. Plus of course, there’s forest and heathland animals like foxes, hedgehogs, hares and rabbits, mice, and squirrels. And most excitingly, Drents-Friese Wold is home to the Netherlands’ only poisonous snake – the adder.

How to get to Drents-Friese Wold National Park

The park is located halfway between the bigger cities Hoogeveen and Assen with Appelscha (in Friesland) and Diever (in Drenthe) being the access points to it. This national park ik easily accessible by car. You can park conveniently just outside the park and explore it further on foot, on bike or horse. Check out the map for the parking places around the park.

Read more: If you decide to stay longer in Drenthe, check out this 3-day itinerary in Drenthe.

Here are some distances to Appelscha and Diever from major cities in the Netherlands:

• Groningen – Appelscha: 45 km/45 min; Groningen – Diever: 55 km/55 min;
• Leeuwarden – Appelscha: 55 km/45 min; Leeuwarden – Diever: 70 km/1 hr;
• Amsterdam – Appelscha: 145 km/1 hr 50 min; Amsterdam – Diever: 140 km/1 hr 50 min;
• Eindhoven – Appelscha: 225 km/2 hrs 45 min; Eindhoven – Diever: 190 km/2 hrs 10 min;
• Rotterdam – Appelscha: 210 km/2 hrs 30 min; Rotterdam – Diever: 200 km/2 hrs 10 min.

If you travel by public transport, you will need first to get to Assen and then take the bus to Appelscha or Diever. Bus line 114 from Assen to Leeuwarden stops at Appelscha . The trip takes about 40 minutes. Bus line 20 from Assen to Steenwijk stops at Diever and it takes about 50 minutes.

Read more: Best things to see and do in Assen

Tip: Read this post about using the public transport in the Netherlands. It’s packed with tips that only a local knows!

Facilities in Drents-Friese Wold National Park

Interestingly, Drents-Friese Wold National Park is owned and managed by several agencies, including the State Forest Service (Staatsbosbeheer), local and provincial authorities, and several private landowners as well. Because of this, there are multiple visitor centres and information points located around the park.

Save this map to MyMaps on Google, so that you can easily and quickly find all important places at the Drents-Friese Wold National Park.

Outdoor Centre (Buitencentrum)

The largest and most comprehensive is the Outdoor Centre (Buitencentrum), located just outside of Appelscha at the park’s northern edge. Here you’ll find plenty of information about the national park, along with the Grenzeloos Wold exhibition. Brochures and maps are available, plus you can purchase souvenirs, equipment like binoculars, along with food and drinks.

The Outdoor Centre is the meeting point for guided tours and excursions into the park, and there’s also a Forestry Lab where kids can watch forest rangers at work, and even participate in hands-on activities! There’s also a lovely brasserie at the centre.

Tourist Information Point Diever

Smaller tourist facilities are also available at Tourist Information Point Diever, in the town of Diever to the south, and at Hoogersmilde Nature Gate, just north-east of the park in the Reeënwissel campground.

Things to Do at Drents-Friese Wold National Park

Like any large outdoor area, Drents-Friese Wold National Park is just packed with interesting things to see and do. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights.

1. Go cycling

One of the most popular activities in Drents-Friese Wold National Park is to go cycling. There’s a lot of great bike paths here: smooth and flat, and perfect for exploring the environment. But the park is also the best place in the Netherlands to go mountain bike riding – yes, an activity that actually exists in this very flat country!

You’ll find some fantastic mountain bike trails here, narrow paths through atmospheric forests, up and down over the sand drifts, and through patches of mud if it’s been raining too. The longest route clocks in at 23 kilometres from Diever to Hoogersmilde, while the shortest is about 4 kilometres from Appelscha to Bosberg.

If you don’t have your own bike, don’t stress! There are plenty of bike hire operations at the nearby towns and villages. Here are some places where you can hire a mountain bike:

• Bike Totaal Kramer Appelscha – Boerestreek 12-1, 8426 BP in Appelscha
• Boscamping Appelscha (April – October) – Oude Willem 3, 8426 SM Appelscha
• Hulzinga Tweewielers – Hoofdweg 38, 8424 PM Elsloo (Fr)
• Fietsverhuur Het Drentse Wold – Bosweg 10A, 9423 TA Hoogersmilde
• Landgoed De Heezeberg – Steenakkerweg 2, 7981 LG  Diever
• Kleijberg Tweewielercentrum – Hoofdstraat 62, 7981 AB Diever

Most of the accommodation in the area also offer various types of bikes, from e-bikes to mountain bikes.

2. Do some hiking

There’s over 130 kilometres of hiking trails that criss-cross Drents-Friese Wold National Park, with more than 30 paths to choose from. Around the Outdoor Centre in Appelscha, you’ll find a series of short walks that are great for kids, and those with limited mobility, while if you’re wanting to head further into the forests the 2km forest mountain path is a great option.

For a touch of history, the Dolmen trail (starting from Diever) winds 6 kilometres to the ancient burial mounds, while keen hikers should tackle the 16-kilometre Forester’s Trail, starting from Hoogersmilde and looping through the park’s most remote areas.

3. Get a bird’s-eye view of the area

If you enjoy bird’s-eye views, this National park won’t disappoint you. There are 3 observation towers in the area: Aekingerzand, Doldersummerveld, and De Bosberg, with the last one being one of the most popular attractions in the Drents-Friese Wold National Park.

The legend has it that at the place where De Bosberg Tower stands there is a gigantic 300-years old oak tree that’s completely buried under the drifting sand. What’s really funny is that the legend turned out to be true, and indeed there’s a giant oak tree under the tower, of which we can see today 3 branches on the ground, next to the observation tower.

The Bosberg Tower (De Bosbergtoren) is 33 m high and it stand on a 20 m high sand dune. From it you can even see the cities Leeuwarden, Groningen, and Coevorden.

4. Ride horses

In addition to hiking and cycling paths, Drents-Friese Wold National Park is also home to several horse riding trails, as well. Equestrian trails are kept separate from other paths, so you won’t need to worry about encountering hikers or cyclists. The four routes across the national park each take about two hours to complete, and start from Appelscha, Hoogersmilde, Diever, and Zorgvlied. Be sure to practice good riding etiquette, by closing gates behind you, and riding slowly so as not to disturb any grazing sheep or cattle you may encounter.

Here is an overview of the stables where you can hire a horse:

• Camping de Reeënwissel – Bosweg 23, 9423 TA Hoogersmilde
• Ludanchelo Hoeve – Wateren 15, 8438 SB Wateren

5. Visit the butterfly reserve

Drents-Friese Wold National Park is home to the Netherlands’ first official butterfly reserve, in a heathland area of the park known as Doldersummerveld. It’s located towards the central western area of the national park, in a slightly remote location but still easily accessible via walking and cycling paths. Be sure to keep your eyes open for rare butterflies like the Alcon Blue and the grayling! You can also climb the nearby observation tower for a commanding view of the area.

6. Learn about the hunebedden

Just at the outskirts of the Drents-Friese Wold National Park you can find Hunebed D52. Hunebed is Dutch for a dolmen. The hunebedden, erected between 3350 and 3050 BC, are shrouded in mystery as their actual function is still unknown. They are considered to be prehistoric megalithic tombs, but not in the sense of the modern tombstones.

Near Dieven you can see Hunebed D52. All dolmens in the Netherlands are numbered and a greater part of them is located in Drenthe, along the so-called Hunebed Highway.

7. Have some fun at the Treetop park

For a bit of fun and light adventure you can visit the Treetop park in Appelscha. Whether you are kid or not, I am sure you’ll love it. If you don’t dare to climb to to tree tops, you can just stand and watch your companions free of charge. There’s also a restaurant at the park. For those who want some extra challenge, you can do the parkour in the evening when it’s dark. To cover the whole route, you’ll need about 2 hours.

Where to stay near Drents-Friese Wold National Park

Camping is a traditionally popular Dutch pastime, and Drents-Friese Wold National Park is a great place to get out and spend a night (or several!) under the stars. There are lots of options for staying in the national park, with multiple campgrounds located in the areas of Appelscha, Oude Willem, Diever, and Hoogersmilde. Farm stays are available at Wapse, Elsloo, and Boijl, while if you’re prefer something a little more comfortable, there’s plenty of hotels at Doldersum, Zorgvlied, Makinga, and Oosterwolde.

Campsites:

• Boscamping Appelscha – Oude Willem 3, 8426 SM Appelscha

For more campsites, check out Eurocampings. They have a large selection of campsites in the area.

Holiday parks – suitable for a longer stay, for example if you want to spend your holidays near the national park:

• Landgoed ’t Wildryck – Groningerweg 13, 7981 LA – Diever
• RCN Vakantiepark De Roggeberg – De Roggeberg 1, 8426 GK Appelscha

Bed & Breakfast – ideal for a hassle-free long-weekend or a mid-week experience:

• B&B Aangenaam – Olde Horst Diever – Hoofdstraat 29, 7981 AC Diever
• B&B Hoeve Morgenster – Huenderweg 17, 8386 XB Doldersum
• BnB Stelvio – Leggelerstraat 9, 7991 TB Dwingeloo

Hotels – if you don’t want to miss on comfort:

• Landhotel Diever – Groningerweg 6, 7981 LA Diever
• Hotel Appelscha – Boerestreek 2, 8426 BP Appelscha
• De Wapser Herberg – Ten Darperweg 104, 7983 KP Wapse
• Boutique hotel Villa Blauw Hemel – Hezenes 6, 7981 LC Diever

Holiday homes – perfect for a longer stay:

• Brink 3 Diever – Brink 3, 7981 BZ Diever
• Chalet “de Hazelnoot” – 13 Groningerweg chalet 242, 7981 LA Diever
• B Brinkzicht Diever – 43 Hoofdstraat, 7981 AD Diever

Final words

Overall, there’s a surprising amount to see and do in this leafy, peaceful area of The Netherlands. It’s definitely one of the most interesting Drenthe national parks, and with so many fascinating activities it’s hard to go past Drents-Friese Wold National Park.

Do you need some extra help to plan your trip to the Netherlands? Join the dedicated Exploring the Netherlands Facebook Group, where you can get tips from other travellers and locals. Or perhaps you have questions or comments? Join the group and I’ll be happy to answer them.