Northeast Twente is gloepens (Twents for the Brabant 'kei') beautiful. A sloping and varied (flat) landscape, tiny hamlets, cosy church villages, a meandering river, country estates and nature reserves and so on. It is not for nothing that it is considered one of the most beautiful cycling regions in our country.
I went on a (re)discovery tour in the beautiful region where I was born. In this second part of my travel report, I tell you more about my cycling trip through the far north of Northeast Twente.
Did you miss part 1? Here you can read more about Reisman Tinus' first day and his bicycle trip from De Lutte via Denekamp to Oldenzaal and back.
On the (re)discovery of my homeland
On the first evening, after a 50-kilometre bike ride, I put up my tent on a beautiful campsite in the woods near the Lutterzand. Fully rested, I start a new day, part 2 of my rediscovery trip through north-east Twente. I get in the car and drive to Ootmarsum, the starting point of my second cycle tour.
Beautiful façades and mystical stepping stones - Ootmarsum
Ootmarsum (or Oatmörsken in Twents) is one of the most popular places in all of Twente. When you stroll through the narrow streets with historical buildings with beautiful facades, you know why. What is surprising is the number of galleries and exhibitions. They attract a specific audience, and who doesn't secretly love people-watching?
I leave the town of Ootmarsum and the further east I cycle, the flatter the landscape becomes. While cycling, take a good look around you. Many farmhouses have a striking artistic decoration in the ridge, the so-called stiepel signs. None seem the same. Or, on the contrary, do they all look alike? They have mostly symbolic value. They are believed to protect the house from evil.
17th century manor house and an imposing oak tree - Breklenkamp
The route continues through the sleepy church villages of Tilligte and Lattrop. I eventually reach the hamlet of Breklenkamp. This is the most north-eastern point of north-eastern Twente. I cycle on a farm road past a large gate with a driveway behind it. Here lies Huis te Breckelenkamp, a surprising hidden gem. This seventeenth-century manor house can only be visited during open days or events, but it is also a beautiful picture from the road.
A little further on, on another small road, I come across a very curious curiosity. In a private yard is a half-timbered barn from 1738, called a spieker. This is a granary. This specimen once had a baking oven and was thus called a bakspieker. But what makes this spieker so unique is the imposing oak tree growing through the roof. Hence, it bears the name tree-baking peak.
The garden of the Netherlands - The Spring valley
I cycle on, through a small part of Germany and past some small farm shops. Here I dismount for a break and enjoy some home-made food. Not much further on, the Springendal nature reserve, also called the 'garden of the Netherlands', begins. Spring ponds, babbling brooks and waterfalls in the middle of the forest make this erosion valley in the Ootmarsum moraine a romantic scene. The Spring valley is one of the few places in the Netherlands where orchids grow. They bloom in spring on the nature reserve's lawns.
It's getting late, it's time to return to Ootmarsum. Through the rolling landscape, through villages and hamlets like Hezingen, Vasse, Nutter and Oud-Ootmarsum, I finish the lap. More than 50 kilometres are done again.
An Eldorado for cyclists - Northeast Twente
On my cycling trips through north-east Twente, I meet many people who go out on their bicycles. Many of them, by the way, are on electric bikes, which does say something about the average age. But North-East Twente is really not just for grey skylarks! It is an unmeunig (another Twents word) beautiful area, quiet and powerful, cosy and wild at the same time.
I have mapped out the route for you here. You can also create your own route. My tip: download the app. It will always take you back on the right path. Or off the beaten track....
Greetings,
Travel man Tinus
PS: Martijn Smeenge alias Reisman Tinus alias @wanderlus.tinus writes on reismannen. nl about his greatest hobby: travelling (and preferably to small islands). The Reismannen approach the world with a male gaze (what's in a name?), obviously sharing their travel experiences but at the same time being critical of the impact tourism has.