Exploring a little-known scenic valley in the Netherlands by bicycle

By Bernd F. Meier Sep 20, 2011, 3:06 GMT

Ommen, The Netherlands - 'Aren't they simply beautiful?' asks Simone Jansen of her astonished guests who are taking a break on a cattle pasture on the banks of the Vechte River.

'Our red-brown cattle are an ancient breed from the Vechtdal valley which are home on the fields next to the river, whether in summer or in winter,' the farmer's wife tells the group who are taking a cow safari excursion with her. 'The entire herd consists of 100 animals.'

In the summer, Simone Jansen leads a cow safari excursion almost every day. Or to be more precise - she drives. She hooks up a covered wagon to the back of an old Hanomag tractor - built in 1956 - and then putters along over to the pastures of her farm.

'During the two-hour tour it is not simply about seeing a few cows grazing in the fields,' she quickly explains. 'The guests also learn a great deal about the flora and fauna of the Vechte River and about the countryside and people living here.'

Simone's cow safari is one of the stops along the way for bicycle tourists exploring the 40-kilometre-long culinary route - 'Smaakfietsroute' in Dutch - of the Vechte Valley. Riding through the river landscape with its rich variety and the picturesque forest trails, the cyclists proceed from one culinary stopping point to the next.

Seven stopping points - farms and restaurants - are found along the Smaakfietsroute, helping vacationers to learn more, above all about farm products from the region round the towns of Dalfsen, Ommen and Hardenberg.

Bicyclists orient themselves along the route according to a number system set up for the network of bicycle paths. One simply notes the numbers on the pink-coloured bracelets - available at the Ommen tourism office - and then along the way keep an eye on the generally well laid-out route signs.

Soon, the Wijngaard en Fruitbdrijf (vineyard and produce store) of Johan Dirk Grootens should be appearing. On the flat land, the vines of the Varsenerhof vineyard can be seen from a far distance. The vineyard is one hectare in size.

'We can produce about 1,000 bottles of wine per year,' Grootens says. But a great deal more is produced of the tasty berries-and-fruits marmalades. Mrs. Grootens makes about 10,000 jars of them, year in, year out, and sell them at the farm's shop.

'Cows, cheese and art,' is the slogan of Joke van de Crommert and her husband Marinus Post in their store Heileuver in Ommen-Dalmsholte.

'Try some of these!' she urges bicycle tourists making a stop in their spanking-clean store. 'Right now our special offer is our spicy grass cheese. This is the new cheese produced when the cows for the first time can go grazing in the pastures after the winter.'

Altogether, the farmstead's store has 25 different sorts of cheeses on offer. And the art? This can be admired right next door in the former chicken coop. Joke was previously an art teacher and now in her gallery she exhibits, along with her own paintings, the works of artists.

Her husband Marinus Post says, 'for the bicyclists touring the Smaakfietsroute we offer tours every Thursday afternoon here - to see the art, the cheese-making and our cows.'

Between Dalfsen in the west and Hardenberg in the eastern part of the route, near the border with Germany's region of Emsland, the quiet Vechtdal valley stretches out.