Twijzelerheide Roaming Route

This route leads you along quiet country roads between the villages of Twijzelerheide and Hurdegaryp. The most striking thing about the view is the different character of the landscape north and south of the railway line between Leeuwarden and Groningen. South of the railway line, you cycle through an area of wooded banks and sand ridges, while north of the railway line, the landscape is predominantly open meadows and marshland. This is also where you will find the It Bûtenfjild nature reserve.

Between the villages of Twijzel and Twijzelerheide, some of the peat was cleared early on and the area was converted farmland. The former peat cutting site to the northwest of the Wildpad (Wyldpaed) region reverted to heathland. This was also converted to farmland but not until much later. The dozens of huts that stood on the heath in the mid-19th century were the origin of the village of Twijzelerheide.

In Burgum you pass Streekmuseum-Volkssterrenwacht Burgum. The building contains a local museum and a public observatory. One of the main aims of Stichting Streekmuseum-Volkssterrenwacht Burgum, the foundation that runs it, is education. The foundation accomplishes this by hosting permanent and temporary exhibitions. The permanent exhibitions are dedicated to subjects such as Archaeology, Geology, Local History, Photography, Astronomy and Space Travel. If the sky is clear, you can look out into the universe through the Miedema telescope. The observatory also has an interesting programme on days when the sky is overcast.