Drents-Friese Wold

The Drents-Friese Wold covers about sixty-one square kilometres on the Drenthe-Friesland border and is one of the largest continuous woodland areas in the Netherlands, most of it planted from the late nineteenth century on former heath and drift sand to produce pit props for the Limburg mines. Within it are two things the planting did not cover: the Aekingerzand, an area of open drifting sand kept clear deliberately, and blocks of heath maintained by grazing. The Vledder Aa, a small stream that had been straightened for drainage, was given its meanders back in a restoration project and now runs through wet grassland with the old ditch pattern still visible alongside. Red deer were reintroduced in a fenced section. Appelscha has a visitor centre and a lookout tower, and the park is heavily used for walking and cycling.

What you actually see

• Sixty-one square kilometres of forest - planted from the 1890s for mine timber.
• The Aekingerzand - open drifting sand kept clear inside the woodland.
• A restored stream - the Vledder Aa given its meanders back after straightening.
• Reintroduced red deer - in a fenced section of the park.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Honest expectations

Most of the forest is even-aged plantation rather than natural woodland. Parking is charged at the main entrances. Ticks are common. The park is large and flat - a bicycle covers far more than walking.

Nearby

Fochteloerveen is north-east; Appelscha is on the northern edge.