Walking the bog in the Veenloopcentrum
The Veenloopcentrum (peat walking center) in Weiteveen forms the central hub for several walks through the peat. Inside there is lots of information about the local area of Bargerveen. The Dutch Woodland Agency (Staatsbosbeheer) has laid out a number of marked routes to let you discover the Bargerveen for yourself. For instance, the four kilometre route at the end of the Zuidersloot marked with blue posts.
Weiteveen en Bargerveen
The first people to live in Weiteveen were farmers from over the border in Germany. 150 years ago they leased an area of the peat moor in order to grow buckwheat. They sowed the buckwheat in the peat and this is how the village got its name of ‘Wheat Peat’. It was old-fashioned over-exploitation. They set the peat on fire and sowed the buckwheat in the fertile ash. It was not until the twentieth century that the turf diggers reached this part of Southeast Drenthe. And by the time turf production got into its stride here on the ‘Amsterdamsche Veld’, it was clear that the profitable peat years were already over
Bourtange Peat Moor
At Bargerveen near Weiteveen you can still gain some idea of the scenic grandeur of the endless Bourtange peat moor. At one time the moor covered an area the size of the province of Drenthe. Today’s Bargerveen is all that now remains. This is a nature reserve of more than 2,000 hectares which contains one of the last examples of living peat. Sphagnum moss still grows here in small pools known as ‘meerstallen’.
Opening times
April to October from 10:00 to 16:00
Limited opening during the rest of the year
