He is talking about the Hamerlanden Route, an initiative of the De Hamerlanden association. That is a walk near Kostvlies and Gasselte, of 6.5 kilometers that runs along a former railway line. “The area goes from high to low, a gift from the ice ages,” says Andringa. For example, the railway line used to be built almost level, otherwise the locomotive of that time would not have been able to drive up the slopes. The train has not been running for a long time. “What has been left behind is a beautiful nature reserve. Nature has taken over.”
Bouwmeester thinks this route is symbolic of the entire Hondsrug. “It is the Geopark in miniature. Here you can make a beautiful connection between geology, nature and cultural history. By involving the local community, and that has happened here,” he points to the De Hamerlanden association. “We have asked the neighborhood association and entrepreneurs here to provide this route with quality.”