With so many attractions and activities for children, it is not easy to leave our family campsite during your camping holiday. Nevertheless, we recommend it. Because there is a lot to do and discover in our beautiful province and our campsite is the ideal base for that. Do the children balk because they are absorbed in their play with friends? Then treat them to a tasty pancake.

It could be a nice idea to map out your own Drenthe village route and get to know how people live in Drenthe by car or bike. Drenthe still has a lot of historical and nostalgic bric-a-brac villages, which often originated in the late Middle Ages. These brinkdorpen - also known as ash- or enkdorpen - are a direct reference to the agricultural past of the province of Drenthe.

Brent villages in Drenthe - cosy and intimate

A brink, es or enk used to serve the peasants of small settlements as common pasture or arable land. Cows or sheep were brought here in the morning from neighbouring smallholdings to graze during the day. That brink was initially located slightly outside the village. The land was often planted with oaks or poplars, which in turn could be used by the village to build houses.

And those houses were built, over time, mostly around the brink. With the growth of the villages, the often slightly elevated brink naturally came to lie in the bowl. The grass of old gave way to cobblestones. And to this we owe the cosy and intimate centre that is so characteristic of the Drenthe villages today.

Children love camping and pancakes

Still today, the brink, mostly surrounded by romantic farmhouses, historical houses and nice terraces, is used for collective purposes. During the summer season, many markets and small-scale events take place there. During the many village festivals, the brink, with its surrounding cafés and restaurants, is often the focal point.

Well-known brink or esdorpen in Drenthe are Beilen, Dwingeloo, Diever, Orvelte and Exloo. Even Assen and Emmen, which have grown into cosy towns that have retained their human scale and are well worth a visit, once originated as typical agricultural village greens. Assen's original brink now boasts the former Provincial House (now the Drents Museum), the Drents Archives and the Abbey Church. The local newspaper publishes its weekly 'Messages from the Brink'.

The pancake house as an asset

Assen has plotted an interesting city walk, which shows well the central role the brink played throughout the centuries. A visit to one or more of the smaller villages also gives a good impression of how former inhabitants depended on each other. Are the children unenthusiastic because they have just installed themselves in our indoor playground? Then let them know that there is a pancake house in almost every village in Drenthe. And often more than one. This gives you a valuable asset.