Discover Surhuisterveen through specific routes and distinctive local landmarks. A 40-kilometre cycling tour and a 13.7-kilometre walking route both start and finish in the village. Other highlights include the Doarpstsjerke, the Feanster Moune and the weekly market at Torenplein. This gives you a choice of different ways to plan your visit: getting active on a signposted route, exploring architectural history or visiting a local market square.

Cycling and cycle racing

The 40-kilometre cycling tour starts and finishes in Surhuisterveen. Along the way, it passes through Frieschepalen, Ureterp, Drachtstercompagnie and Boelenslaan. These place names give the circular route a clear geographical outline: it leads from Surhuisterveen through several villages and back again. For planning, both the distance and the route through these named places provide useful points of reference.

Cycle racing events are also part of the local scene. The Stichting Wielercomité Surhuisterveen organises the Pieter Weening Classic cycling tour every year. A professional cycling race has taken place in Surhuisterveen since 1982, shortly after the Tour de France. Alongside a specific route, this means there is also an annual cycling tour and a professional race, offering two different connections to cycle racing.

Walking through the Frisian countryside

If you prefer walking, you can plan a 13.7-kilometre route that also starts and finishes in Surhuisterveen. It leads through the rural Frisian countryside, along quiet village roads and across meadows. These features give the route a different character from the cycling tour through the villages mentioned above: here, the paths and meadow landscape define the route.

The distance and mode of travel provide a practical comparison when choosing between the two activities: 40 kilometres by bike compared with a 13.7-kilometre walking route. Both tours return to their starting point in Surhuisterveen. You can therefore plan your stay around whether a cycling loop or a walk through the countryside better suits your plans.

Village church, windmill and weekly market

The Doarpstsjerke, dating from 1685, stands in the centre of Surhuisterveen. Its churchyard contains 19 gravestones bearing poems. The church and its churchyard bring together two specific historical details: the age of the village church and the poems on the gravestones. They give local history a distinct focus alongside the cycling and walking routes.

Another distinctive landmark is the Feanster Moune, officially known as Nôtmûne Koartwâld. It is an octagonal Dutch-style windmill in the Frisian village of Surhuisterveen and has stood there since 1864. The dates mark different historical points of reference: the Doarpstsjerke dates from 1685, while the windmill has stood in the village since 1864. Together with the church, it provides another architectural highlight for anyone interested in village history.

Surhuisterveen’s weekly market is held at Torenplein. Alongside the routes and historic buildings, this adds another local point of interest. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Surhuisterveen, you can decide in advance what to focus on: a cycling tour, a walk or the history of the village. The routes described here start and finish in Surhuisterveen; the buildings and market add further local highlights to these activity options.

Discover more destinations: Twijzelerheide, Buitenpost, Augustinusga, Gerkesklooster, Surhuizum.

View the full travel guide: Achtkarspelen.