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10.5 km
~2 hrs 6 min
9 m
Loop
“A gentle Anloo loop where sandy forest paths, heath edges, and ancient stones quietly stir wonder.”
This easy, mostly level loop of about 10 km (6.2 mi) with roughly 0 m (0 ft) of climbing is a classic Drenthe walk: quiet village lanes, sandy forest tracks, and open heath/field edges in the Boswachterij Anloo area, with a strong chance of passing prehistoric sites tucked into the woods. Underfoot is typically firm sand or packed forest path, so it’s a good choice when you want a low-effort day that still feels varied and “wild.”
From the church, you’re immediately in the heart of old Anloo—an ideal “soft start” before the landscape opens into forest and heath.
2.0–6.5 km (1.2–4.0 mi): Strubben–Kniphorstbos—prehistoric Drenthe under the trees This middle section is the signature of the loop: the Strubben–Kniphorstbos area between Anloo and Schipborg, a 377-hectare reserve that’s nationally notable as the only archaeological reserve in the Netherlands. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strubben%E2%80%93Kniphorstbos?utm_source=openai)) Here, the forest isn’t just “nature”—it’s a layered cultural landscape. You’ll be walking among: - Hunebedden (dolmens)—megalithic tombs associated with the Funnelbeaker culture. Two of them, D7 and D8, lie within the reserve. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strubben%E2%80%93Kniphorstbos?utm_source=openai)) - Burial mounds—the reserve contains dozens (often described as around sixty) of ancient barrows, sometimes subtle as low rises, sometimes more distinct where management has reopened sightlines. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strubben%E2%80%93Kniphorstbos?utm_source=openai))
The paths here can be a web of intersecting tracks. If you’re not following waymarks, keep HiiKER handy—this is exactly the kind of terrain where it’s easy to take a “nice-looking” side track and add unintended distance.
6.5–10.0 km (4.0–6.2 mi): Open edges, quiet lanes, and back to Anloo As you arc back toward the village, the scenery typically alternates between forest edge and more open agricultural land. In clear weather, this part feels airy after the enclosed woods. You’ll likely finish where you started, back at the church brink—worth a slow look if it’s open, because the building itself is one of the region’s major historic landmarks.
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