Spier: Hiking, Cycling and Local History

Spier combines trails in Dwingelderveld with places of remembrance and historic buildings. When choosing a hotel, you can first consider what you want your stay to focus on: hiking, cycling, an interactive game or local history. The activities differ in their starting points, routes and content; the details below will help you assess them more specifically.

Hiking and cycling routes in Dwingelderveld

Natuurpoort Spier is the gateway to Dwingelderveld National Park; various cycling and hiking routes start there. The “Boswandeling Spier” is 5.5 kilometres long and leads through a forest in Dwingelderveld that was planted from 1925 onwards. If you choose a hike, this route offers a clearly stated length and a specific connection to the landscape.

For a cycling trip, the “Fietsroute Dwingelderveld (Audioroute)” starts at the visitor centre in Spier; almost the entire route follows dedicated cycle paths. Compared with the Boswandeling, different planning considerations come to the fore: the length of a hiking route in one case, and a cycling route with a specified starting point that runs mostly on dedicated paths in the other. The “Familiepad Dwingelderveld” is a hiking trail that is easily accessible to wheelchair users. If you use a wheelchair, you can take this information into account when choosing a trail.

More experiences in Dwingelderveld

The “Buiten Bereik Route: Spier” runs through Dwingelderveld National Park. It includes the distinctive “Zinzitter” seat, where you can sit for a while and do nothing. The route thus combines its course through the national park with a named place to take a break. If you want to set aside time to linger along the way, this feature offers a specific point to consider when choosing a route.

“The Nature Game Drenthe” starts at Van der Valk Spier, Oude Postweg 8, in Spier. Along the way, participants watch videos, solve puzzles and take part in interactive games. The game is suitable for ages 8 and up; children aged 6 and up can participate when accompanied by an adult or an older sibling. These age guidelines can help you assess whether your group can take part. Check the starting point in advance in case arrangements have changed.

Places of remembrance and historic buildings

A monument in Spier is dedicated to Jean Salomo Simons and Claudius Campan. It commemorates Simons, a French member of the military who fell on 11 April 1945 during the liberation of the area. The monument is located on Moraineweg, between the cycle path and the road, level with Hotel de Woudzoom. This makes it possible to pinpoint its location in the area.

A memorial cross in the woods near Spier commemorates 21 civilians from Spier who were shot during the Second World War in a reprisal by the occupying power. Together with the monument, the cross points to another event in the area’s history and complements the connection to the liberation of Spier.

The history of buildings also forms part of the local landscape. At De Steegde is one of the oldest surviving farmhouses in Spier: an 18th-century hall-house farmhouse with a barn and a detached stookhok, which was converted into a dwelling. Here, the focus is on the building’s form and conversion, unlike the memorial sites, which recall the history of the war.

Discover more destinations: Hooghalen, Ruinerwold, Drijber, Westerbork, Balinge, Smilde, Wijster, Zwiggelte

For the overview of the wider area: Midden-Drenthe.