The Hunebedden of Drenthe

The hunebedden are chambered tombs built of glacial boulders by farming communities around five thousand years ago, and almost all the surviving Dutch ones are in Drenthe, where the ice left the stone behind. Each is a line of uprights carrying capstones, some collapsed, some intact, usually with a kerb of smaller stones marking a mound that eroded away long ago. They stand where they were built, in fields, on verges and among trees, mostly unfenced and free to walk up to. The largest is at Borger, next to the visitor centre that sets out the building methods and the pottery found inside them. Linking a few by bicycle is the usual way to see them.

Highlights

• D27 at Borger - the largest of them, with the visitor centre alongside.
• The construction - uprights and capstones of glacial boulders, some still in place, some fallen in.
• The roadside tombs - smaller sites standing unfenced in fields and woods across the province.
• The finds - pottery and tools recovered from the chambers, shown at the centre.

When to go

April to October for cycling weather and dry ground, since the stones are outdoors and unlit and short winter days limit how many you can link. Early morning and late afternoon give the shadows that make the structures readable. Weekends bring families to the Borger site, while the rural tombs stay empty.

What to expect

Most of them are piles of large stones in a field, and without context they underwhelm quickly; one or two is enough for anyone not already interested. The visitor centre is pitched at children. Sites are scattered and signposting is patchy, so a proper map matters. Nothing out there offers shelter when it rains.

Nearby

The Drenthe heathland and the Bargerveen bog, with Assen and Emmen as the nearest towns.