Exloo: Sheep Flock, Heathland and Village History

Exloo combines the region’s sheep-farming traditions with heathland and woodland landscapes, historic sites and attractions for a range of interests. During your stay, you can focus on shepherding traditions, routes through the landscape, village history or family attractions. If you’re looking for a hotel in Exloo, this selection can help you plan your trip around the topics that interest you most.

Sheep Flock and Shepherding Traditions

The Schaapskudde Exloo keeps around 250 Drenthe Heath Sheep. This rare native breed is considered the oldest sheep breed on the West European mainland. From April to September, the shepherd leads the flock daily from the sheep shed to the heathland. Visitors are welcome to watch or walk along for part of the way. As the current times can vary with the weather, it’s a good idea to check the schedule before your visit.

Anyone wishing to learn more about the flock and its surroundings can explore a range of topics in the Exloo Expo exhibition: the history of the Schaapskudde Exloo, the shepherd’s work, the local area, the wolf issue and livestock guardian dogs. Exloo Expo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., from April 1 to October 1. Check the opening hours before setting out if a visit is a fixed part of your day’s plans. Visiting the exhibition and watching the flock’s daily journey are two different ways to learn about the shepherding tradition.

Heathland, Woodland and Routes

Boswachterij Exloo comprises dense coniferous and deciduous forests, heathland and drifting sand. These landscape features are also found along the signposted Tijdreisroute Leewal: the 7.5-kilometre route runs through forests, heathland and drifting sand between Exloo and Odoorn. Trail conditions may vary. For planning purposes, both the distance and the route between the two villages are useful reference points.

There is also a continuous cycle route that runs through Borger, Exloo, Valthe and Emmen. Its details differ from those of the Tijdreisroute: the Leewal route has a stated distance and landscape, while the cycle route is described as a connection between several places. You can therefore choose based on whether you’re considering a route with a specified distance through different landscapes or a cycling connection between several places.

Village History and Archaeological Traces

In Exloo, the elevated Brink on Hoofdstraat is one of the village’s best-preserved village greens. Another historic site is the small megalithic tomb D30 on Bodenpad, towards Ees. The tomb originally had four capstones; three remain today. Finds from the tomb include pottery shards and prehistoric tools.

The cultural history museum Bebinghehoes is housed in a 1722 hall-house farmhouse. The sheep shed and carriage house next to Bebinghehoes are also part of the farm museum. The Brink, the megalithic tomb and the farm museum each represent different aspects of the village’s history: a preserved village green, a prehistoric tomb and a historic farm with its associated buildings. These differences offer specific points of reference if you’d like to focus your stay on archaeological or cultural history.

Play Attractions and Seasonal Events

Kabouterland in Exloo is a large playground and also a zoo. Hunzebos is also home to the approximately two-kilometre-long Sabeltandtijgerspoor, an adventure play route for children featuring climbing, jumping, swinging and balancing. One attraction combines a playground and zoo; the other is a route with a range of physical activities. When planning, you can choose between a play attraction and a route with active stations.

Events also bring seasonal highlights. The Exloo Trials are held annually in summer as a sheepdog trial on the open heath. Oogstdag takes place every year in July or August, depending on the weather. Grain is harvested traditionally using historic machinery in a field near the village. As the date of Oogstdag depends on the weather and event dates should be checked for the relevant year, it’s a good idea to consult the current calendar if you’re planning your trip around it.

When choosing a hotel in Exloo, you can start by deciding on the purpose of your trip: shepherding traditions and seasonal events, landscapes and routes, village history or the play attractions mentioned above. Opening hours and event dates are particularly relevant if you want a specific experience to determine when you stay.

Discover more destinations: Bronneger, Buinen, Eesergroen, Drouwenermond, Tweede Exloërmond, Odoorn, Borger, Drouwenerveen.

For the wider travel overview: Borger-Odoorn.