Gateway Holtingerveld

The place to start exploring the area is the Gate Holtingerveld. The most striking element in Holtingerveld is the Havelterberg. This hill is 19 metres high and, together with Bisschopsberg and Woldberg, was pushed up by glaciers about 150,000 years ago in the penultimate ice age, the Saalien. The ice pushed tons of material ahead of it and crushed it into a thick layer of boulder clay. After the ice melted, this 'mess' was left behind.

From the dolmens, a path leads 'steeply' up the mountain. You hike through dry heathland with heather and bent smelt, as in many other Drenthe heathlands. On top of the mountain, the picture is very different. Due to the thick layer of boulder clay, a lot of water remains here and it is much wetter than on the slope.

The heaths of Drenthe often have a damp character. This is because there is often a layer of boulder clay in the soil that causes it to retain water. Wet heathland can also be found in the Holtingerveld. Heather and ringwort grow here, along with more rare plants such as bell gentian and fen rush.