Odoorn Travel Guide

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The Hunebedden (megalithic tombes) of Drenthe are famous throughout our country. The stoneage people built graves with huge granite bolders brought here by the galciers in the last iceage. In this area there were many of these tombes. But over the years people used the stones as building material (see the church) or to strenghten the dikes at the seaside. Only the last century the tombes are really protected. Around Odoorn you can find some remainders of hunebedden. The first one is along the road from Odoorn to Valthe, where Eppiesbergje (next tip) is on your left hand go right. When you enter a wooded area the huge stone are on your left uphill.
Another one is along the road to Borger. Not far from Odoorn to your left. Both are not very complete, but you can get an idea of how they used to be. A room built with large stones, covered with smaller stones and after that with earth.
To get the complete picture you can visit the hunebed museum in Borger.

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In Exloo, a village only 2 miles from Odoorn there is a sheepfarm in the middle of the village. This herd is taken into the woods by the sheppard to graze on the heathland. In may there is a sheepshearing festival in Exloo. Here you can see how the wool is sheared from the sheep. There even is a contest. There also is a market in the village that day. Nice to see, great with kids too.

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This small hill in the otherwise flat land east of Odoorn is a stoneage burialmound. In the stone age people were buried in a ditch wich was later covered with a mound of earth. This method of burying the death was the new way after the megalithic tombes (hunebedden)
The name is deriving from a man called Egbert who either hanged himself or was hanged here.
There is not really much to see, but the hill is standing out in the farmersfield.

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The church of Odoorn doesn't look special at the first glance. But look more closely and you will see the large stones that make the choir of the church. It are granite boulders. These boulders are brought to this area by th eglaciers of the iceage. The boulders were used by ancient tribes to built burialmounds. Remains of these mounds can be found in the area. In the 12th century people didn't see the importance of the mounds and used the stones for building there church. In 1856 the church was torn down a new one was built. They kept a portion of the stones in te choir section of the church.

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Boswachterij Odoorn is a forest of 1800 hectares. It was a project to give people work in De 1914. Trees were planted and small hills were created. In 1972 there was a big storm and many of the trees were destroyed. A part was replanted but the other part is kept an open heathland by the sheep grazing here.
Although it was meant to be a wood production area it is now more a nature reserve.

The forest of Odoorn is large enough to walk around for hours without getting to same place.
Next to the obvious trees there is also a heathland area. With sheep grazing there to keep the heathland open. There are several walks marked with coloured poles. There is even a walk for young kids with poles coloured like a mushroom, red with white dots.

We bought a map at the tourist info in Borger (10 km north of Odoorn) and made our own walk by combining some routes.