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Sat, 07 Nov
|Belevingspad Hoogersmilde
Expat Walking Geeks - The National Park Drents-Friese Wold
Expat Walking Geeks' next adventure is heading to the Dents-Friese Wold to walk on the Olde Smildeger Route. Enjoy a 15 to 16 km walk with lots of history and beautiful nature. Must sign up in advance, only registered participants can join the walk
Date and Time
07 Nov 2026, 10:00
Belevingspad Hoogersmilde, Bosweg 23, 9423 TA Hoogersmilde, Netherlands
About the Meetup
Time: We start walking at 10.00 – please arrive a few minutes early
Start Location: Belevingspad Hoogersmilde P1, Bosweg 23, 9423 TA Hoogersmilde
Google Maps: https://shorturl.at/5p3Qc
GPS: 52.9083525N, 6.3731317E
Distance: 15 -16 km
Walking time: approx. 4 - 4½ hours, including short stops
Landscape: dense coniferous forest • open heathland • forest pools/vennetjes and wetland • sandy tracks and open sandy areas • a wooden boardwalk through a wet/moorland section
Only registered participants can join this walk; no confirmed registration = no walk! No walk-ins allowed!
Register via FB Messenger or email: expatswalkinggeeks@gmail.com
FB responses ‘Going’ or ‘Interested’ don't count and are not considered as registration.
Limited places, first come → first served.
Bring comfy shoes, water, your favourite snack and a rain jacket or umbrella; rain or shine, we’re going!
Dogs are allowed but must be kept on a lead throughout the Olde Smildeger Route.
Participants arrange their own transport.
Participation is entirely at your own risk.
Public transport
From Groningen: Train to Assen → Bus 20 towards Hoogersmilde → walk to Bosweg/Belevingspad.
From Leeuwarden: Public transport connections are available via Drachten or via Groningen/Assen → continue by bus towards Hoogersmilde → walk to Bosweg/Belevingspad.
Please check 9292 shortly before travelling, particularly for weekend services and the return journey.
Carpooling
If you're coming by train/bus, please mention it in the comments or in the FB Event Discussion section where you can arrange a possible carpool/pick up with other walkers from a convenient nearby station or bus stop.
THE NATIONAL PARK DRENTS-FRIESE WOLD
The Drents-Friese Wold covers approximately 6,000 hectares across Drenthe and Friesland.
What makes the park special is its variety. Dense forest can suddenly give way to heathland, sand, wetlands and open fields. Nature is increasingly being given room to develop naturally, creating wilder woodland with fallen trees, changing water levels and less manicured forest.
This is a fantastic walk for anyone who enjoys forest, wildlife, history and quieter nature trails with a WWII story hidden among the trees. This beautiful circular walk takes us into the heart of this national park, one of the largest continuous nature areas in the Netherlands.
Although the official Olde Smildeger route starts at Sportlaan, we will join the same 15.5 km circular route from the Belevingspad car park on Bosweg as an alternative starting point.
The route is mainly unpaved and can become wet or muddy after rain, so good walking shoes are strongly recommended.
BELEVINGSPAD & WWII HISTORY
One of the most unusual sights near our Bosweg starting point is the aircraft hidden among the trees on the Belevingspad Hoogersmilde. The aircraft is presented as a replica of a British WWII Spitfire and you can even climb into it.
There is an interesting piece of local WWII history behind it. The aircraft refers to the German decoy airfield at Oude Willem which was constructed during the occupation using forced labourers from the surrounding area. The fake airfield was intended to draw Allied attention away from the real military airfield at Havelte.
The Belevingspad itself is approximately 2.5 km and contains ten nature and history features. Our route passes through this area as part of the wider Olde Smildeger landscape.
OLDE SMILDEGER ROUTE
Once deeper into the forest, the character of the walk changes considerably. The Olde Smildeger is a Boswachterspad (a ranger selected trail) designed to take walkers through some of the quieter and more interesting parts of the Drents-Friese Wold.
We will pass through mixed woodland, open heath, sandy terrain and secluded wetland areas. Small vennetjes are hidden among the trees, while benches and picnic places give us opportunities for a break.
One particularly beautiful section is around the Albertaplas, where a wooden boardwalk of approximately 244 m long crosses a wet area beside the water. There is also a wooden wildlife viewing screen where we can stop quietly and look for birds.
The landscape is also good wildlife habitat. Roe deer occur throughout the forest, while foxes, badgers and pine martens also live in the area. On some of the broad sandy tracks, we may even find badger footprints.
WILDLIFE & VIEWPOINTS
Part of the route passes through quieter wildlife areas and past an uitkijkheuvel - viewing hill. Elsewhere an elevated artwork/viewing structure gives views over the open landscape and potentially a chance to see birds of prey hunting above the fields.
Highlights of the walk include:
decoy airfield history - hidden wartime story
Albertaplas boardwalk - walk above wetlands
birdwatching screen - watch wetland wildlife
roe deer habitat - keep your eyes open
badger tracks - look for footprints in sand
birds of prey - hunting over fields
viewing hill - landscape and history
sandy trails - typical Drenthe terrain
Belevingspad - nature and local history
ice age boulders - Scandinavian glacial stones
snake habitat - Belevingspad feature
This is a social walk, not a race. We’ll walk at a comfortable pace, with plenty of time to enjoy the scenery, take photos, chat and simply enjoy being outdoors together. Whether it’s your first EWGITN walk or you’ve joined us many times before, everyone is welcome! The walk is free, but registration is mandatory. No registration = no walk.
AFTER THE WALK
After completing our 16 km walk, we can relax together with a well- coffee, tea or something refreshing in Hoogersmilde. A perfect opportunity to rest our legs, warm up and have a chat before heading home.
NP Drents Friede Wold
https://www.nationaalpark-drents-friese-wold.nl/
Belevingspad
https://www.drenthe.nl/natu.../belevingspaden-en-speelbossen
Olde Smildeger Route