In 1818 a former army officer named Johannes van den Bosch had a plan to cure poverty with heathland and a spade. His Maatschappij van Weldadigheid, the Society of Benevolence, bought up wasteland here on the border of Drenthe and Friesland and settled poor families from the cities on small farms, with a strict regime of work and discipline. Frederiksoord and Wilhelminaoord were the first colonies, and Veenhuizen, a little further east, later became a penal colony. UNESCO listed the Colonies of Benevolence in 2021, a rare case of a World Heritage Site that began as a social experiment.
The countryside is the point. You ride through a ruler-straight landscape of long avenues, regimented rows of trees, little white-trimmed farmhouses and fields cut out of old heath. It looks tidy, and slightly unreal, because every road was laid out with intent. This is Dutch riding, which means low speed limits, cycle lanes along nearly every road and traffic cameras that are not shy, so enjoy it as a calm morning ramble rather than a sporting run. The nearby Drents-Friese Wold, a national park of heath, pine and sand drifts, makes an excellent contrast and a good place for a walk.
Practicalities are simple. Haulerwijk and Norg are villages with a couple of thousand people each, and Oosterwolde, about nine kilometres off, is the larger town where fuel and a proper lunch are easy to find. In the colonies themselves you will find museums and small cafes, and in good weather the terraces fill with cyclists. The prison museum at Veenhuizen is surprisingly absorbing, and the old cell blocks give an honest picture of how the experiment drifted from charity into confinement.
Spring and early autumn suit the area best. The heather blooms purple in late summer, and low mist in the cold months gives the straight lanes a ghostly look. The wind can be sharp across the open fields, so a windproof layer is wise. Come with a slow mind, and the place rewards you with the odd, quiet feeling that someone once believed this empty ground could be made perfect.