The True 'Hell of the North' — Drentse Keien Cobbles

Leberen is a cobbled section (AKA keienstrook) near the Ieberenplas, great on a gravel bike... but of course for the real experience you'll have to ride this one on your road racer ;-)

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

Zwatte is one of the 'keienstroken' near Schoonloo. Just around the corner there's also 'Tweelingen' and 'Egbertsweg'. Enough to go around and make your bike bounce!

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

The south part of the Zwatte cobble road (keienweg) is only partially true cobbles, as parts of it are starting to disappear into the ground, covered by so much dirt that those parts can only be described as dirt road.

Most of it is still decent old cobble road though, with a nice escape avenue on the concrete cycling path next to it. An escape you'll need when exiting the forest, where the cobble road turns into a wild farm-dirt-road-thing.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

Steenhopenweg is one of the few keienstroken (cobble sections) that is actually still also a road accessible by cars. Not a busy one of course, as it's nothing more then a road through the forest... only made of keien (flinten in Drents).

The road itself forms a beautiful old lane surrounded by trees and makes for a beautiful ride with incredible views of some heathers and wetlands along the way.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

In the forest north of Exloo, there are multiple cobbled sections... but none as long as 'Voorbos'.

At 3.6 kilometres (2.2 miles), it's no walk in the park. It is a ride in the forest however... a bumpy one. Except for the last part (or the first if you enter it from the north), that's a bumpy ride in the fields! Anyway, prepare for a bumpy ride and you're good to go!

P.s. There's a sharp rim in the middle of the one corner in this section. Go easy on that one and lift up. I didn't and it broke my saddle, yikes!

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

Bosrand is a small keienstrook (cobble section) at the edge of Exloo town.

Its name is quite suitable, as it actually forms the edge of the forest and that's basically what the Dutch word of bosrand stands for. Fancy detail in this section is the 90-degree corner in the middle. Hit it fast, but not too fast!

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

Meerweg is a beautiful example of a Drenthe village cobbled road. It's short, curvy and nowadays unfortunately rare.

Meerweg survived the modern times up until today and is a nice little road to throw into your cobbled keien-ride.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

Dalakkersweg is a cobble section linking up to a bigger one to the west. It has a small curve in it and even a little bit of gradient. Drentse gradient that is, nothing fancy! There's even a 'Hunnebed' next to Dalakkersweg in the small field just behind the corner.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

Exloërzandweg is part of a longer cobbled section (keienweg), linking up to Valthe village in the south and a choice of two other cobbled sections in the north, Valtherzandweg and Dalakkersweg. The latter even has a small gradient and corner in it as an extra element of surprise.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

This keienstrook (cobble section) is called after a dirt road (Weerdingerzandweg) but is everything but that. It's a mean, clean cobble section, just right up the alley of those with a good sadistic love for the Spring Classics!

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

Hammeersweg used to be all cobbles (keien in Drents) but most of them have disappeared over the years. There's two small sections left of the Hammeersweg cobbles now. This one is in between some old farm houses, and the other one is just around the corner at the edge of town.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

Hammeersweg used to be all cobbles (keien in Drents) but most of them have disappeared over the years. There's two small sections left of the Hammeersweg cobbles now. This one at the edge of town, and the other one just around the corner, in between some old farm houses.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

Schaapstreek is something else. It's a long cobbled section through the heather and forest of 'Boswachterij Odoorn' ending up or starting in the village with that same name; Odoorn.

Schaapstreek is a long one and is named after the sheep grazing in the fields here. You won't have much time for admiring the sheep however, rambling over these 'Drentse keien'.

Only little break in this section is when you hit the little tunnel under the N-road... but this is only for a short while!

Also note that there's a small 'cobble' exit half way called Manrhowijk, which leads you out of the forest towards Schoonoord.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

This cobbled section (keienstrook) with the name Wezup is a truly harsh one. Where other cobble sections in the region are sometimes overgrown with mosses and cracks filled up with sand, this one is so clean you feel every bump and stone... making it even worse than the ones that are bad.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

In the forest next to De Kiel run a couple of cobbled sections or keienstroken as they're called locally.

This is part of a keienstrook called Pieterpad. At the one end ending up at a crossroads where you can ride straight ahead, finishing this cobble straight, or turning left or right turning into either end of the De Kiel cobble section.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

In the forest next to De Kiel run a couple of cobble sections or keienstroken as they're called locally.

This is part of a keienstrook called Pieterpad. At the one end it finishes at a crossroads where you can ride straight ahead, or turning left or right turning into either end of the De Kiel cobble section.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

In the forest next to De Kiel run a couple of cobbled sections or keienstroken as they're called locally.

This is part of a keienstrook called De Kiel. At the one end ending up in a crossroads where you can ride straight ahead, finishing this cobble straight, or turning left or right turning into either end of the Sleenderzand cobble section.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

Tweelingen is a long cobble section (keienstrook) in the tweelingen heather fields just south of Schoonloo.

It has this nice curve to it and links up with cobble sections Zwatte and Egbertsweg.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

In the forest next to De Kiel run a couple of cobble sections or keienstroken as they're called locally.

This is part of a keienstrook called De Kiel. At the one end it finishes at a crossroads where you can ride straight ahead, or by turning left or right you can turn onto either end of the Sleenderzand cobble section.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien

This keienstrook (cobble sectio)n is called Egbertsweg. It's part of more cobble sections in this patch of forest south of Schoonloo. You can easily connect it up with cobble sections Zwatte and Tweelingen.

Do you like cobbles / keien like these?
Visit my special Komoot collection on the Drentse keien with all cobbled streets of Drenthe and a special 'ultimate cobbled route' through Drenthe "Hell of the North"
komoot.nl/collection/919731/-de-ware-hel-van-het-noorden-drentse-keien