Westerwolde

Westerwolde is a region in the southeast of in Groningen province in the Netherlands. The region consists of the municipalities of Vlagtwedde and Bellingwedde, that plan to merge and become the municipality of Westerwolde in 2018. Westerwolde is a rural area with about 30 villages and hamlets. The largest village in the region is Ter Apel (population 6,000), with the other main villages being Vlagtwedde, Sellingen, Bellingwolde and Blijham. A small, but touristic village is Bourtange, which consists of a star-shaped fort.

In some definitions, the municipality of Stadskanaal is also part of Westerwolde. However, Stadskanaal is also part of the Veenkoloniën (Peat District), and described in that article.

Understand
The Westerwolde region is in the southeast of the province of Groningen, bordering Germany (the Western Plains) to the east and Drenthe province to the south. The region is famous for the fortified villages of Oudeschans and especially Bourtange. Just as in other relatively remote regions of the Netherlands, Westerwolde suffers from a declining and ageing population.

Tourist information
There are four tourist information centres in the region. A fifth tourist office for Westerwolde is located in the larger town of Stadskanaal. In addition to these tourist offices, there are various 'tourist info agencies', i.e. restaurants, drugstores, campsites, or museums that provide tourist information. For an overview of such agencies, see the website of Tourist Info Westerwolde.

By car
There are no motorways or expressways in the Westerwolde region, but several key roads are nearby. From the city of Groningen (and the nearest airport, Groningen Airport Eelde), the fastest route to the northern part of Westerwolde is via the A7, exit Winschoten (Groningen to the village of Blijham takes about 30 minutes). To the southern part of Westerwolde, the fastest route is via the A7 (to Zuidbroek) and N33 (to Veendam), followed by several trunk roads. From Groningen city to the village of Ter Apel, the drive takes about 50 minutes.
 * The east-west A7 motorway passes just north of the region, with access to Westerwolde via the exit at Winschoten and the N367 trunk road.
 * The north-south N33 expressway passes just west of the region, with access to Westerwolde via the exit at Veendam and the N366 trunk road.
 * On the southern side, the A37 motorway passes about 20 km south of the region (exit Emmen, access to Westerwolde via N34 and N391).
 * On the eastern side, the German A31 Autobahn runs parallel to the border. From the exit at Haren, expressway B408 leads to Ter Apel, and from exit Dörpen local roads lead to Bourtange.

From destinations in the south and west of the Netherlands, the fastest way is via Emmen (A37). For example, from Schiphol Airport the drive takes about 2.5 hours.

By public transport
Being a relatively remote and sparsely populated region, access by public transport is rather limited. There is no railway station in Westerwolde, the nearest railway stations being in Winschoten in the north (with local trains to Groningen city) and Emmen in the south (with local trains to Zwolle). There are some useful bus routes into the Westerwolde region, all operated by Qbuzz:
 * Bus route 12 (1x/hour): from Winschoten to Westerwolde (Bellingwolde, Blijham).
 * Bus route 14 (1x/hour): from Winschoten via Westerwolde (Blijham, Wedde, Vlagtwedde) to Stadskanaal.
 * Bus route 42 (1-2x/hour) from Emmen to Westerwolde (Ter Apel, sometimes to Sellingen, Bourtange, Vlagtwedde).
 * Bus route 73 (1x/hour) from Groningen via Hoogezand, Stadskanaal, Westerwolde (Ter Apelkanaal, Ter Apel) and Nieuw Weerdinge to Emmen.

Get around


Westerwolde is, like much of Drenthe and Groningen, covered in canals. These canals, originally used for transporting peat, which the region contained, nowadays allow for an easy connection from city to city, as most of the cities formed and grew along these canals. Canals such as the Ruiten-Aa-kanaal, however, do contain a lot of locks, as well as many bridges, many of which are manually operated. On a good day, however, this is well compensated by the weather, view and ease of transport by boat. If you qualify to rent a boat or own one yourself, then consider exploring the region by boat.

For those that do not have access to a boat, a bike is a typical way of exploring the Netherlands. The road network is well-maintained, bike routes are in high quantities, both for citybikes and mountainbikes. Don't own one or unable to bring one? Some bike repair shops rent out bikes as well. By far the biggest one in the region is in Musselkanaal. For something closer-by, simply asking at the service desk of your hotel or campsite, as well as a tourist office can help you find one in your vicinity. Some of the hotels and campsites also offer bike rental. For a day, costs are around €15, for a week about €75.

Museums

 * Klooster Ter Apel (7273305086).jpgBourtange: there are various museums in the fortified village of Bourtange. See the guide on Bourtange for an overview.

Eat
For restaurants within the fort walls of Bourtange, see the specific article on the village of Bourtange.

Sleep
For places to sleep within or near the fort walls of Bourtange, see the specific article on the village of Bourtange.

Go next

 * Veenkoloniën — Groningen's 'Peat District', characterised by long, straight canals with linear settlements.
 * Oldambt — Just north of Westerwolde, the region known for its yellow rapeseed fields and 'windmill city' Winschoten.
 * East Frisia — the far northwest of Germany, including the East Frisian Islands.