Moor & Peat route around Exloo
Exloo, 1e Exloërmond, Schoonoord
Get on your bike in Exloo and follow the traces of peat extraction, which shaped the landscape and villages here. The villages of 1e and 2e Exloërmond originated in the 19th century, when workers and peat farmers settled along the dug canals. The dead straight waterways you see here are silent witnesses of the time when peat - for centuries the fuel of the Netherlands - was transported to the city by prams. This swampy area was systematically reclaimed and transformed into a network of villages, canals and peat extraction sites, a characteristic landscape that is still visible today. Out of this radically changed landscape, special nature reserves were also created. Cycle along De Zanderij and the Zoersche Landen, where, with man's help, nature can once again take its course. Here, marsh forests, open water and wet grasslands alternate. With a bit of luck, you might see a bank swallow skimming above the water or a beaver hiding in the riparian vegetation. In the middle of this ancient moorland, however, you will come across a feat of modern technology: the LOFAR Superterp. This advanced research area captures radio waves from the universe with thousands of tiny antennas, allowing scientists to look far into the past and study the origins of stars and planets. Cycling further, you come to the Oranjekanaal, a waterway dug in the 19th century to improve drainage and peat transport. The canal runs right through Schoonoord, which owes its characteristic appearance to it. Here you will find two special monuments that tell local history. For instance, stand on the artistic bridge over the canal and look up. Do you recognise the outline of an old-fashioned peat pram?
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
|
Start: Meerweg , 7875 BW Borger-Odoorn | 64 KM | |
|
From
20
to
13
|
2317 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head northeast on Meerweg | 8 M | ||
| Continue straight | 186 M | ||
| Turn right onto Polweg | 153 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 77 M | ||
| Turn left onto Zuideresweg | 9 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 354 M | ||
| Turn right | 6 M | ||
| Turn left onto Zuideresweg | 205 M | ||
| Turn right onto Hoofdstraat | 248 M | ||
| Turn left | 25 M | ||
| Turn right | 12 M | ||
| Continue onto Oude Dijk | 1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 13 | 0 M | ||
|
From
13
to
44
|
5649 M | 5.6 KM | |
| Head northwest on Kleunveensdijk | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Nieuwe dijk | 368 M | ||
| Turn left onto Regenhamsdijk | 1.3 KM | ||
| Continue onto Beeksdijk | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Velddijk | 727 M | ||
| Turn right onto Exloërweg | 717 M | ||
| Turn left onto Voorbosweg | 15 M | ||
| Turn right onto Exloërweg | 62 M | ||
| You are now at section 44 | 0 M | ||
|
From
44
to
45
|
2871 M | 2.9 KM | |
| Head north on Exloërweg | 263 M | ||
| Turn right onto Osdijk | 2.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 45 | 0 M | ||
|
From
45
to
91
|
4989 M | 5 KM | |
| Head north on Zuiderstraat | 336 M | ||
| Turn right onto Hoofdkade | 244 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Hoofdkade | 10 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zuiderdiep | 2.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Zuiderdiep | 2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 91 | 0 M | ||
|
From
91
to
85
|
6438 M | 6.4 KM | |
| Head southeast on Vierentwintigste laan | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Zuidelijke Tweederdeweg | 2 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Drentse Mondenweg | 1.4 KM | ||
| Make a slight right | 21 M | ||
| Continue onto Drentse Mondenweg | 1.9 KM | ||
| You are now at section 85 | 0 M | ||
|
From
85
to
60
|
2607 M | 2.6 KM | |
| Head south | 6 M | ||
| Turn right | 2.5 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Zuiderdiep | 108 M | ||
| Continue straight | 8 M | ||
| You are now at section 60 | 0 M | ||
|
From
60
to
62
|
3978 M | 4 KM | |
| Head southeast | 388 M | ||
| Turn left | 8 M | ||
| Continue onto Kijlstraat | 121 M | ||
| Turn right onto Anne de Vriesstraat | 54 M | ||
| Turn left | 123 M | ||
| Turn right | 1.9 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Dreef | 119 M | ||
| Turn left onto Vrijheidslaan | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn left onto De Wieke | 8 M | ||
| Turn right onto Vrijheidslaan | 164 M | ||
| You are now at section 62 | 0 M | ||
|
From
62
to
4
|
3164 M | 3.2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Noorderdiep | 3.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 04 | 0 M | ||
|
From
4
to
9
|
2286 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head northwest on Valtherblokken-Noord | 2.3 KM | ||
| Continue straight | 7 M | ||
| You are now at section 09 | 0 M | ||
|
From
9
to
38
|
6544 M | 6.5 KM | |
| Head south on Valtherweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Vlintweg | 881 M | ||
| Turn right onto Hondsrugweg | 23 M | ||
| Turn left onto Vlintweg | 23 M | ||
| Turn right onto Vlintweg | 342 M | ||
| Turn right onto Hoofdstraat | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Odoornerweg | 104 M | ||
| Make a slight right | 83 M | ||
| Turn right onto Odoornerweg | 1.7 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Langhieten | 14 M | ||
| Turn left onto Valtherweg | 572 M | ||
| Turn right onto Boshof | 73 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 103 M | ||
| Turn right | 5 M | ||
| Turn left onto Boshof | 23 M | ||
| Turn left onto Exloërweg | 46 M | ||
| You are now at section 38 | 0 M | ||
|
From
38
to
36
|
2236 M | 2.2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Hoofdstraat | 25 M | ||
| Turn right | 136 M | ||
| Turn left onto Dilweg | 143 M | ||
| Turn right onto Torenweg | 96 M | ||
| Turn right onto Torenwijk | 1.8 KM | ||
| You are now at section 36 | 0 M | ||
|
From
36
to
76
|
6424 M | 6.4 KM | |
| Head northwest on Achterweg | 2.7 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Manrohrwijk | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Noordzijde | 1.3 KM | ||
| Turn left onto De Lange's Brug | 30 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zuidzijde | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 76 | 0 M | ||
|
From
76
to
5
|
3719 M | 3.7 KM | |
| Head northwest on Slenerweg | 1.4 KM | ||
| Turn left onto De Tip | 654 M | ||
| Turn right | 6 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto 7 Markenpad | 305 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 43 M | ||
| Continue onto Eserstraat | 11 M | ||
| Make a slight left to stay on Eserstraat | 387 M | ||
| Continue onto Brammershoopstraat | 891 M | ||
| You are now at section 05 | 0 M | ||
|
From
5
to
57
|
1698 M | 1.7 KM | |
| Head northwest on Kanaalstraat | 1.7 KM | ||
| You are now at section 57 | 0 M | ||
|
From
57
to
7
|
3452 M | 3.5 KM | |
| Head northeast | 46 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Natuurpad Eesergroen | 1.6 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Dorpsstraat | 564 M | ||
| Turn right onto Witkoelenweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| You are now at section 07 | 0 M | ||
|
From
7
to
24
|
3620 M | 3.6 KM | |
| Head southeast on Saksveldweg | 512 M | ||
| Turn left onto Middenweg | 1.1 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Odoornerstraat | 509 M | ||
| Turn left | 231 M | ||
| Turn right | 344 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Hoofdstraat | 90 M | ||
| Continue straight | 834 M | ||
| You are now at section 24 | 0 M | ||
|
From
24
to
26
|
1370 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head east on Hoofdstraat | 994 M | ||
| Turn right onto Dennenlaan | 16 M | ||
| Turn left onto Hoofdstraat | 360 M | ||
| You are now at section 26 | 0 M | ||
|
From
26
to
20
|
649 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head east on Hoofdstraat | 315 M | ||
| Turn right onto Zuiderhoofdstraat | 334 M | ||
| You are now at section 20 | 0 M |