If you are planning a holiday in Friesland, why not stay in the guesthouse of a former traditional farm. The Grethahoeve is situated on a small quiet road along the river the "Linde", that forms the boundary between the southern part of Friesland and Northwest Overijssel. It lies in between the nature reserve areas the "Rottige Meenthe" and the National Park the "Weerribben" close to the Frysian town of Wolvega. The area is very popular for bird watchers, canoo freaks, hikers and bikers.Until 1998 the farm was in use as a dairy farm, but is now part of a large natural corridor starting in the middle of Friesland and reaching into the province of Overijssel. Since 1999 the new owners, are rebuilding the farm and the adjacent guest house into a comfortable place to live, taking care to conserve the traditional style and atmosphere of the farm as best as possible. We also have a bed and breakast accomodation (bedroom plus luxurious bathroom with a bath and toilet) in the farmhouse. Click here to know more about the farm and things to do.
The guest house (55 square meters) is built adjacent to the farmhouse, has it's own parking place, garden and entrance thereby providing full privacy for it's visitors. It comprises a livingroom, a bedroom with a twin bed, kitchen and bathroom. The kitchen is fully equipped with a combi-heatwave/oven, dishwasher, gas cooker and refrigerator. The bathroom has a toilet, washing basin, shower and bathtub. The guesthouse has 220 V electricity, a TV set, cd/radio/cassette stereo and has its own central heating system. The guest house is an ideal place for two people to relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of this beautiful part of the province of Friesland.
The Grethahoeve was built somewhere around 1850 as a dairy farm. In 1949 the farm was struck by fire and rebuilt in 1950. The farm was named after one of the daughters of farmer Piek. In 1960 the oldest son got married and since he was to become the succesor of his father, a separate house was built next to the farm for the young couple. When Jelle Piek junior and his wife got children the son moved into the farm and his father and mother inhabited the small house next to the farm. Piek senior and his wife left the small house in the nineteen eighties and the small house was only used to house family members during birthday parties.
In 1998 farmer Piek was asked to stop the farming activities and sell his land and farm to the organisation " Staatsbosbeheer". This organisation already owned the National Park the " Weerribben" south of the river "Linde" and had gained major pieces of land on the other side of the river in Friesland in an area named the "Rottige Meenthe". The purpose of Staatsbosbeheer was to obtain a large nature area in Friesland and Northwest Overijssel interconnected in such a way to allow a reintroduction of the "otter" in the region. The Grethahoeve and neighbouring farms all stopped with farming activities and came into the hands of citizens fleeding the busy and crowded life in the midwestern part of Holland. The new inhabitants of the Lindedijk had a special interest in the unique landscape and it's history but also fell in love with the majestic typical Frysian "stelp" farmhouse. The word stelp comes from the fact that this building style is characterised by the fact that both the living and animal quarters are under one roof.
As mentioned earlier the area around the Grethahoeve is dominated by a number of historical facts. First of all the farm is situated at the foot of a dike built to protect the land from the high water from the tidal river the "Linde". This also explains why the marshy land around the farm is covered by several inches of clay, probably due to inundations during high tides. The dike that was built to protect the land behind it from high tides sometimes broke down. The small lake next to the farm on Lindedijk 4 is a remnant of a break in the dike which ocurred long ago. Close to the mouth of the river Linde near the township of Slijkenburg a canon is still situated next to the road reminding us of earlier times whereby a canon was shot to warn farmers upriver, that high tides had caused a break in the dike and urging them to get their cattle into safety.
The nature area bordering the Grethahoeve is called the Rottige Meenthe. This name was taken from a small piece of community land where farmers of the neighbourhood were allowed to keep their cattle. The local word for community was "Meenthe" and since the quality of the land was very poor (rottig) it was called Rottige Meenthe.
Both the area of the Rottige Meenthe and the adjacent natural park the Weerribben (3,500 hectares) are internationally classified as wetlands. From the middle ages until mid last century it was an area where making dry peat was an important source of income for it's inhabitants. The peat was dredged out of canals that had a width of up to 30 meters wide. It was distributed on strokes of land (minimally 6 meters in width) between the canals, allowed to dry and cut into brick-like structures. These peat-bricks, called turf in the Netherlands, were a popular fuel for stoves to heat the homes. Although the area looks very natural nowadays, it is largely the result of human activities. Without further human intervention, the area is expected to turn into a wetland forest within approximately 30 years and the unique variable character of the current peatland would soon be lost. Nowadays, due to various interventions, the area has a varied landscape of open water ponds, floating islands of vegetation in former peat holes, fields of reed marshes, wet meadows, and woodlands. Instead of peat-mining agricultural activities now include reedcutting, woodland coppicing, haymaking, grazing, and the dredging of ditches and waterways. Large efforts are made to keep the eutrophic water from the surrounding waterways to get into these wetlands, since this drastically alters the existing ecosystem. New activities are designed to dig out the peat and making new ponds in the Rottige Meenthe, thereby decreasing the gap with the Weerribben thus creating an ecological corridor between the two wetlands. At the same time the water level in a large area of the Rottige Meenthe is increased approximately 30-40 centimeters thereby increasing the surface of the total wetland area and at the same time preventing a draught that has had an important impact on the vegetation. These measures will have an important impact on the farming activities in the area since the wetland is not very suitable for cattle.
The Grethahoeve is an ideal spot to start roaming on your bike through the Southern parts of Friesland or Northwest Overijssel. The farm lies along the marked ANWB cycle routes known as the "Tjonger route" and the "Zuiderzee route". Descriptions of other cycle routes (each about 25 kilometers) around the "Rottige Meenthe", through the "Kuinder-forest" or the Weerribben are also available. (If you don't have your own bike you can use ours or rent one at the Weerribben Nature Activity Centre in Ossenzijl).
The area is a favorite spot for canooers. Canoes can be rented at the Nature Activity Centre in Ossenzijl. This is also the starting site for various marked canoe trips through the Weerribben (7, 8 or 14 kilometers). Bring along your own canoe and start in front of the farm in the river the Linde and explore the small river the Scheen that winds through the nature reserve area the "Rottige Meenthe". You can also rent a "silent" boat with an electric outboard motor.
Walk along the various marked paths (each about 3 to 4 kilometers in length) through the "Rottige Meenthe" or the "Weerribben". The landscape is a mixture of grasslands, marshlands and woods. The whole area is dominated by the former "turf" making which took place at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. The organic rests of rotting plants were dug out of the marsh land and placed on long rectangular stretches of land and allowed to dry. The dried material was cut into a bricklike structure and sold as fuel for stoves. The digging resulted in an area of long stretches of water divided by stretches of land. During winter storms the pieces of land would often be swept away resulting in the formation of larger lakes. After the turf making was abandoned, nature reclaimed the area and waterplants growing in the lakes and ditches rapidly resulted in formation of land. At a certain stage in this process thatch became the major plant species in the area. Thatch results in a further draining of the water from the area which is then followed by a stage wherinn certain trees (birch) can start growing. The final stage in this process are the marshland forests. The inhabitants of the area shifted from the "turf" making to cutting thatch. By artificially increasing the water level in the the pieces of land where the thatch grew, by using small windmills, they were able to prevent the area to reach the "forest" stage. The thatch from this area is called "Kalenberger riet" and is known as the best material in The Netherlands to make a thatched roof.
The area around the farm has numerous feathered inhabitants, with each time of the year having it's own visitors. Winter time is governed by the presence of large flocks of geese and ducks behind the farm. In summer, when the storks have returned from Africa they can often be seen walking graciously right behind the farm. On warm summer days a group of over twenty storks can ocassionally be seen drifting in the air taking advantage of upward thermic currents. In summer, the swallows breed in the farmhouse, finches sing out loud and at night time owls can be heard. During dusk the deer come out of their hiding places. Although it takes a lot of patience to see them, their fresh footprints can regularly be observed in the land. Marks of the fox around the house and an incidental encounter in the early morning are proof that this species is also scanning our neighbourhood frequently. Birds of prey are continuously roaming around the area and every once in a while one can witness them catching a small mouse. One of our chickens has already become the victim of a buzzard.
Many stables are available in the area and riding lessons can be taken from our neighbours. The town Wolvega (10 minute car ride) is famous for it's horse racing and betting.You can hire horses in the Kuinderbos and ride along a total length of 35 kilometers.
The river "Linde" in front of the farm is a popular site to go fishing. Fish that can be caught include pike, eel, bass and brasem. Worms can be obtained by digging them up in the the garden of the Grethahoeve. Other bait can be bought in Wolvega. Adults need a fishing permit which can be obtained in Wolvega.
A fitness centre is available in Wolvega (Sportcentrum Xtrafit, Grindweg 124).
The closest supermarket can be found in the small township "Ossenzijl" which is ten minutes by bike or a few minutes by car. Another one which is somewhat better is in Scherpenzeel. Larger shopping centres can be found in Wolvega (10 minutes by car) or in the capital of Friesland, the city Leeuwarden (30 minutes by car).
A few kilometers upriver, the Linde harbors a very unique "three way lock" called "Driewegsluis". This lock was necessary in former times because it was a point were three regions, each with it's own water level came together.The lock has been renovated and can still be used although it has been replaced by a modern "two way" lock because the water level of two of the three regions was adjusted to one and the same level. Today the lock is well known among boat people because in the summer months the locks can get quite busy and waiting times of a few hours may occur. The towns in the neighbourhood of the farm have interesting houses reminiscent of the "turf" period with characteristic thatch roofs. Wolvega has a windmill which is open to public and also contains a small museum giving an overview of the history of the area.