Dinkelland – Discover nature and culture

For your trip to Dinkelland, you can choose from nature experiences, cycling and hiking routes, museums and historic sites. The attractions have different focuses: some trails highlight scenery and exercise, while buildings and exhibitions elsewhere offer insights into regional history. This lets you plan your trip around the topics that interest you most.

Nature and trails

There are many well-maintained cycling and hiking trails in Ootmarsum, Denekamp, Weerselo and the area between them. Specific routes are also available for individual excursions: the Hugopad is eight kilometres long. It starts at Tourist Info/Boekhandel Brummelhuis in the centre of Denekamp, heads towards Beuningen and then follows the Dinkel river. The ten-kilometre Springendal hike passes through a nature area covering about 355 hectares. There, clear, flowing water runs downhill in numerous streams. The stated route lengths give you a clear point of reference when comparing shorter and longer hiking routes.

Bergvennen & Brecklenkampse Veld offers a different landscape: in this Natura 2000 area, open heathland, woodland, small bodies of water and flower-rich grassland alternate. Several walking trails run through the area, and you can view the water from a birdwatching hide. Punthuizen, Stroothuizen and Beuninger Achterveld are also part of the Dinkelland Natura 2000 area. Heathland and rare blue moor-grassland shape the landscape there.

There are several themed routes to choose from for a cycling trip. The 26-kilometre Watermolenroute runs close to the watermills around the Mosbeek Valley and the natural landscape near Ootmarsum and Springendal. The Old CanalAllee Nature Tour, by contrast, follows the Almelo-Nordhorn Canal through the Dutch-German border region. Along the way, it passes a nostalgic customs house, an 18th-century peat barge and the oldest aqueduct in the Netherlands.

Museums and history

The Open Air Museum Ootmarsum is located right on the edge of the centre of Ootmarsum, in the municipality of Dinkelland. In 16 authentic buildings typical of the region, it tells the story of how farmers in Twente lived in the past. Its focus is therefore on the historic everyday life conveyed by the buildings. Museum Natura Docet in Denekamp is considered the oldest regional natural history museum in the Netherlands. The museum’s first edition was established in 1911 in Bernink’s childhood home. Today, it offers a permanent exhibition, changing exhibitions, workshops, lectures and walks.

Museum Natura Docet is easy to reach by car and public transport. The Oranjestraat stop is a useful landmark, and free parking is available. If you are planning guided experiences as well as exhibitions, Cosmos Sterrenwacht Twente offers tailored tours for individual visitors, families, groups and school classes, during the day and in the evening.

Landgoed Singraven and local experiences

Landgoed Singraven covers about 500 hectares. More than half of it is woodland; the rest consists mainly of agricultural land and nature. The Dinkel contributes to the area’s landscape diversity. You can explore the estate on designated routes on foot or by bicycle; the park itself is open to pedestrians only. One of the estate’s watermills is a water-powered sawmill. During the summer months, volunteer millers set the wheels in motion, giving visitors a glimpse inside the mill. The estate was first mentioned in historical records in 1381 as the agricultural farmstead “Hof ten Singraven”.

Guided visits to the monastery have their own focus: they cover more than 800 years of history and are available for groups of eight to 40 people. For a culinary addition, you can include Othmar’s tasting room, which offers guided beer tastings and high-beer experiences. Othmar brews artisanal beer in copper kettles in Ootmarsum at Gasterij Oatmössche.

Discover more destinations: Denekamp, Ootmarsum, Deurningen, Lattrop, Tilligte, Rossum, Saasveld, Weerselo, Agelo.

For the main travel overview: Overijssel.