Drijber: Routes, Landscape and History

There are several ways to approach a trip to Drijber: exploring local routes and activities, taking in the landscape along the Oude Diep, or learning about the village’s history. If you’re looking for a hotel, you can first consider whether walking and cycling, or local history and traditions, should shape your stay. The local information offers specific points of reference, from a five-kilometre walking route to historical details and recurring events.

Walking and cycling routes

A walking route in the area is called “VAM-berg en het Oude Diep” and is five kilometres long. Two signposted walking paths pass over and along the VAM-berg. This gives you two different points of reference when choosing: the stated length of the named walking route and the signposted paths at the VAM-berg. For cycling, Het Drentse Landschap offers a cycling route of more than 40 kilometres along the Oude Diep. The two figures can be compared as route lengths, but they relate to different activities: five kilometres for walking and more than 40 kilometres for the cycling route. This makes it easy to see which distance and activity suit your plans.

The VAM-berg also offers specific details to help you understand the routes: its first section is 48 metres above NAP and includes three climbing routes and a descent. The routes are 2,100 metres long in total. These measurements and route features offer further planning information alongside the walking and cycling routes.

Landscape along the Oude Diep

The Oude Diep winds past the village of Drijber through a varied landscape of hay meadows, hedgerows and small streamsideside woodlands. Drijber is an esdorp—a village with a central green—founded in the early Middle Ages in the Oude Diep valley; the Drijberse Es lies south of the village. The stream is both part of the landscape and a point of reference for the origins of the esdorp. This provides a way to understand the area through its specific landscape features as well as the village’s development.

Traces of local history

The first mention of Drijber dates from 1217, when the place was called Triburd. The early Middle Ages marks the founding of the esdorp, while 1217 is the date of its first recorded name—two distinct points in the village’s history. In the Middle Ages, the monastery of Ruinen had an outlying farm (Uithof) in Drijber, which served, among other purposes, as accommodation for travelling members of the monastery. The village’s history therefore encompasses not only its settlement, but also a specific connection to travel and monastic life. The Gereformeerde Kerk Drijber on Berkenweg is a simple hall church with a small tower, built in 1939.

Traditions and winter activities

Since 1980, Drijber has held an annual Spelweek, during which street associations compete against one another. The Natuurijsbaan Drijber is located in the centre of the village and invites visitors to skate a few laps, provided there is suitable natural ice. The two activities differ in timing: the Spelweek takes place every year, while skating depends on suitable natural ice.

Discover more destinations: Witteveen, Westerbork, Hoogersmilde, Ruinerwold, Spier, Mantinge, Orvelte, Beilen

For the regional travel overview: Midden-Drenthe.