Much of The Netherlands is flat as a table top. And so it is a popular destination for cyclists. Riding a bike in Holland is as common as eating rice in China. But we often choose the country as a hiking destination. Hiking on flat terrain is nice, too, and the system of trails and accommodations across The Netherlands is second to, almost, none. We’ve already hiked the entire Pieterspad which runs the length of country from north to south.

This time we travel by train and bus from Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to the province of Drenthe – a beautiful, rustic part of the country with sleepy villages, gorgeous old farm houses and heather fields with flocks of sheep. Nothing in this small country is far apart and the public transit system is pretty efficient. Our goal is to spend some time hiking the Drenthe Pad, a beautiful, circular long distance trail. The Drenthe Pad circumnavigates the province. It is a trail of some 325 KM. And it might well be one of the best kept secrets in the world of hiking. The trail is well marked in most places, with yellow/red symbols nailed to posts or painted on trees. A comprehensive trail guide and map are issued and sold by NIVON, see link below.

The terrain is relatively flat. And it is very varied: from ancient, sleepy villages you enter a quiet forest, cross a sandy path and walk along the moors (fields of heather will bloom in August), then along a farm field, back into the woods. Across the next heather field you might encounter a large flock of sheep, with or without a real live shepherd and his dogs. And it is not uncommon to spot long horned Highlander cattle grazing among the trees. They are pretty docile although you don’t want to go up and pet them…

Just when I thought “We haven’t seen any kind of wildlife!” a large deer slowly crossed the path while woodpeckers were hammering in the trees.

In a country of 33,889 square kilometres (13,084 square miles) and a population of nearly 17 million, the Netherlands is among the most densely populated countries of the world. However, on this trail we hiked several days without seeing a soul until hours after we started. It is rare in this country not to see a church spire, or power lines or hear traffic noise. But on this trail there is often complete silence except for the singing of different types of birds. It is probably one of the few areas in the country where you can still get completely lost and wander.

Usually most hiking trails here have an abundance of benches, picnic tables or little restaurants with a patio. In Drenthe you can walk 20 KM and not spot one so it’s a good idea to pack a lunch. But the wild swans on the lakes make up for not being able to order a coffee.

We walk from town to town and stay in either B&B’s or local hotels. If you are planning a hiking or bicycling trip in the Netherlands, and there’s no better place to do either, consider joining this organization: Vrienden Op De Fiets (Friends On Bikes): http://www.vriendenopdefiets.nl/nl/ (or .en for the English version). This fabulous network across the country offers accommodations in private homes, much like B&B’s, but at a cost of E22.50 p.p.p.n. including full breakfast.

Our private cottage on a farm. For just over 20 euros p.p. this was our home for the night

Accommodations are usually an example of typical Dutch hospitality. No need to reserve long in advance, depending on the time of year, you can often phone the day before. Rooms vary from a simple spare room to your own whole cottage. We’ve always had clean rooms, comfortable beds and a great breakfast. But: you can only arrive on foot or by bike. If you rent a car, you can’t use this organization. Annual membership fee is 8 euros and that includes the complete catalogue of 5,000 addresses and contact information, which is also available online to members.

What I really like about walking in The Netherlands is that the landscape is small scale and changes all the time. But also that, as you walk from town to town, customs and traditions change. Each region, or even each town, has its own traditions steeped in history. As we enter the town of Appelscha, just across the provincial border from Drenthe into Friesland, the local bakery now offers Frisian sugarbread (gooey bread with lumps of sugar baked into it) while Drents raisin bread is loaded with currents and raisins, weighing as much as a brick. And not only food but also drinks reflect regional taste. The Dutch brew Heineken and Grolsch, but also produce many local beers ranging from dark to blond to fruity.

One weekend the forecast is for rain so we decide to look for a place to stay two nights. There’s a fantastic website called Voordeeluitjes (Discount Outings) which often offers very inexpensive hotel packages. We found a hotel for basically the same price as the Friends On Bikes network plus dinner. Breakfast in Dutch hotels is often a buffet with all sorts of bread, raisin buns, croissants, fruit, yogurt, eggs and more.

For a change of pace, instead of walking the next section of the Drenthe Pad, we decided to rent bicycles. The Dutch have state of the art bicycles, including tires that will not pop anymore. Cost for a full day bike rental is 7 to 8 euros. We cycled through the village, across farm fields, national nature reserves, forests, a wild bird sanctuary and historic fields of peat moss. Peat was used here as fuel by turn of the century farmers.

We cycled no less than 60 KM in one day and felt very Dutch! Now, in addition to sore backs and feet, we also have sore butts and knees…. Halfway it started to rain so we donned our rain capes – thank goodness we did not carry them for 2 months without ever needing them. I never felt more Dutch than peddling across a windswept bike trail through the fields.

Those bike trails are amazing. Our route for a day looks like this: 60 – 65 – 72 – 73 – 79 – 91 – 84 – 65 – 60. Sounds like a secret code, doesn’t it?

But it’s all you need to find your way across the country. It’s a mind boggling system of (mostly) paved or concrete bicycle trails. At an intersection you will see a small sign with a number, either the number of the path you are already on, or pointing to the next number you need to follow. Simple. Just don’t miss one. At major crossroads there is a large regional map showing you all the routes so that you can easily change or adapt the route you are on. Ingenious.

One day, the path took us to the very cute village of Orvelte, which is like an open-air-museum with its historic farms. There is a glassblower, an antique store, a traditional cheese maker and much more. We toured a historic farm full of furniture and household items from at least a century ago. The tour included a very good movie about the village and life as it has been here during the ages.

Orvelte is high on our list of recommendations, but only during the shoulder seasons. In high season it’s supposed to be very, very crowded!

Several times while hiking across the moors and heather, we met large flock of sheep, sometimes with tiny new lambs. These sheep help keep down any invasive species and promote the growth and expansion of the heather. A shepherd often follows with his, or her, traditional crook.

On one of our last days of hiking, the trail took us through the Westerbork concentration camp area: an area where Jews were interned and shipped to extermination camps by the Germans during the war. It is an impressive and, of course, very depressing area but important to be preserved as a reminder of the horrors of war.

Drenthe is famous for its “hunebeds” - graves from the Stone Ages.

The Drenthe Pad took us through some of most beautiful natural areas The Netherlands has to offer, including historic villages and areas of national and historic interest. And the best part is that both bicycle paths and hiking trails are mostly away from roads or other traffic. Just you and nature, even in such a densely populated country. It’s a system of hiking and biking trails that the Netherlands can be proud of. And that more countries should adopt.