The Hunebedden Route: From Giant Stones to Mobile Heritage
Start your engine, sharpen your sights, and let yourself be carried away on a ride through the oldest landscape in the Netherlands. This unique motorcycle tour begins at the Hunebedcentrum in Borger, next to the largest dolmen in the Netherlands (D27), and takes you past an impressive series of prehistoric monuments to the majestic D53 in Havelte—the second-largest dolmen in the country.

This route is more than just a ride. It's a journey through time on two wheels, right through the mystical Drenthe landscape, where ancient stones bear witness to a civilization that left its mark thousands of years ago. You'll ride through forests, across heathlands, along sandy roads, and through villages where time seems to have stood still.

Four reasons why you must drive this route:
1. For the driving experience: quiet back roads, winding routes and beautiful views.
2. For the heritage: nowhere else in Europe will you find so many prehistoric monuments so close together.
3. For nature: forests, heathlands, sand drifts and esdorpen alternate.
4. For the story: each stone tells a piece of our oldest history.

Starting point: Hunebedcentrum Borger (D27)
The Hunebed Centre is the perfect place to start your route. Here you'll learn about the Funnel Beaker people, who built these mysterious burial monuments some 5,000 years ago. Outside the museum lies D27, the largest hunebed in the Netherlands, with 22 capstones and a length of almost 23 meters. A monumental start to your journey.

At the end of your route awaits D53, situated in an open heathland near Havelte. This dolmen is almost as large as D27 and, along with D54, is nestled in an impressive natural setting. Its location in the Holtingerveld, an area of moraines and sand drifts, makes this a perfect ending to your ride.
In 1945, during the final stages of the war, the German air force decided to build an airfield on the Havelterberg. Because dolmen D53 was a prominent landmark from the air, it had to be removed. By order of the occupying forces, the dolmen was completely dismantled.
Using an excavator, a 6- to 7-meter-deep pit was dug right next to the original location. All the stones—pillars, capstones, and kerbstones—were buried in this pit. The dolmen's floor remained intact. The smaller dolmen, D54, was covered with a sand mound to hide it from Allied aircraft.
After the war, in 1947, the stones were excavated again. Thanks to the detailed drawings and photographs that archaeologist Van Giffen had made in 1918, the dolmen could be reconstructed almost exactly in its original location in 1949.

Along the way you will pass through villages where time seems to stand still:
Exloo: a village with an active flock of sheep, old farms and a charming village green.
Diever: cultural stronghold with open-air theatre and dolmen D52 in a wooded setting.
Havelte: charming village with a rich history, surrounded by nature and dolmens.

This route is ideal for a day trip or as part of a weekend in Drenthe. Whether you ride solo or with a group, you'll experience a unique combination of freedom, culture, and nature. Get your bike rolling and discover the Netherlands' stony past.

Have fun riding this route!