Rotsterhaule: Moorland and History

Rotsterhaule combines the landscape of Easterskar with a local history that spans peat extraction and a variety of architectural styles. When planning a stay, the wetland and the area’s history offer two concrete ways to explore the destination: you can combine hiking and birdwatching with a look at how the village has developed.

Hiking and Nature in Easterskar

Easterskar is a wetland where paths run alongside old peat-cutting pits and through swamp forest. The elongated strips of water, known as peat-cutting pits, were formed by excavating peat. Water, reeds and swamp forest shape a landscape where traces of past peat extraction remain visible to this day.

The area’s development also tells a story of change: agricultural cultivation of Easterskar, planned around 1960, was never carried out. As a result, distinctive plants and various groups of animals have been preserved there, including birds, butterflies, reptiles and amphibians. In spring, 90 different bird species breed in Easterskar.

There are two marked routes to choose from, each with a different length and landscape. The short yellow route is about 3.5 kilometres long and runs alongside reed beds and stretches of water. The red route is about 4.5 kilometres long and passes through wet grassland, peat-cutting pits and swamp forests. It is therefore about one kilometre longer; the sequence of landscapes also differs. This information helps you compare the length and surroundings of the two routes.

Access and Birdwatching

Easterskar is open during daylight hours year-round, with free admission. Access points are located at Bisschopweg and at three places along Skarwei. For birdwatching, the Skiere Goes hut is another useful landmark: it is accessible year-round, and parking is available for visitors on Richard Jungweg in Rotsterhaule. From the hut, you can enjoy a view rich in birdlife; in spring, particularly large numbers of greylag geese can be seen there.

Local History and Traces of Peat Extraction

Rotsterhaule was established around 1500 as a dispersed settlement along a drainage and land-reclamation axis that originated in Sintjohannesga to the northeast. Large-scale peat extraction later transformed Rotsterhaule and its village area. From the mid-18th century onward, low moorland around the village was excavated and processed into peat. The history of Easterskar and the development of the settlement are therefore both connected with the use of the moor, although in different ways.

Other historical traces point to the Second World War. After making an emergency landing, pilot John Gordon Fraser initially hid in Easterskar. Siebe de Jong and Jan Sloothaak supplied him with civilian clothes and food. A Second World War weapons drop site, codenamed Frying Pan, is also located near Easterskar. These two details give the natural area a more tangible historical dimension.

Buildings and Local Baking Tradition

The buildings described here represent different periods and styles of construction. Streek 161 is a single-storey house dating from 1907; its central projecting section rises up to a dormer. Streek 151 is a Stelp-style farmhouse designed by H. Telgenhof in 1926, with a brick dormer and a bakehouse. Streek 130 is a wooden house built around 1930, with a thatched hipped roof and Expressionist features. Boerestreek 7 is described as a modern farmhouse dating from 1939. The dates range from 1907 to 1939, making it easy to compare the differences between houses and farmhouses, as well as their architectural features.

Baking is also part of the village’s history. In the past century, Rotsterhaule and Sintjohannesga were known for their baking tradition; the two places are referred to as twin villages. Van Dijk’s rye bread factory is considered one of the best-preserved examples of the local baking tradition. Along with the buildings, this history adds another aspect to the destination’s natural setting.

Discover more destinations: Oldeouwer, Joure, Idskenhuizen, Rohel, Legemeer, Sint Nicolaasga, Teroele, Sintjohannesga.

For the broader travel overview: Skarsterlân.