In the Echtenerzand nature reserve, the atmosphere of the wild and empty Drenthe can be tasted just like a century ago. This area is part of the Boswachterij Ruinen and is characterized by beautiful views in a setting of old junipers and maritime pines.
Distance: 6 km.
Time: 2h00.
Grade: Easy.
Type: Circular.
Gps Track: Yes.
Route description: No.
Wheelchair: Not suitable.
Dog: Allowed.
Height gain: Flat.
Trail: 100% unpaved.
Marking: Red signs.
Hiking shoes recommended.
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Through forest and heather.
Beautiful walk of Staatsbosbeheer through the nature reserve Echtenerzand. You walk through woods of maritime pine and deciduous trees, along and through heaths and dunes. Nature is incredible here as well as the silence. You go over narrow, and sometimes very narrow, walking paths and roads with beautiful views over the heath and the fens.
This walk is perfectly signposted and can easily be walked without a GPS.
POI 1 - Echtenerzand.
Until more than seventy years ago, the area around Ruinen, like the largest part of Drenthe, was 'deserted and empty': unexplored and often inaccessible land with peat, sand and vast moors. For the mines in Limburg, wood was needed, a lot of wood, to support the mines. That is why, in large parts of Drenthe, coniferous forests were created in the crisis years of the 1930s: the fast-growing, straight trunks of the coniferous trees were well calculated for that task. This is how the Ruinen forestry was created: 1200 hectares with mainly Japanese larches, spruces and pines. A few pieces were not planted. With, for example, the Gijsselter Plassen and the Echtenerzand, the atmosphere of the wild and empty Drenthe can be tasted a little more than a century ago. Together with the forests, the lakes and the sand form a wonderfully varied cycling and walking area. Moreover, the coniferous trees are increasingly making way for deciduous trees, as a result of which the forests attract more and more birds and insects.
Staatsbosbeheer.
www.staatsbosbeheer.nl.
POI 2 - Echten.
Echten is a village in the municipality of De Wolden, province of Drenthe. The oldest known data of the existence of Echten date from 1181. A part of Echten is a protected village. There are also several national monuments in the village. In Echten many old houses and farms can be found, including De witte villa. There is also a small house, made by the inhabitants of the village as it should have looked like before. Echten is definitely worth a visit.
No additional information.
