Haule offers two distinct themes to consider when planning your trip: routes through the landscape and insights into the village’s history. Long-distance hiking trails and natural areas provide options for outdoor activities; the church, memorial stone and artwork tell Haule’s story in a different way. You can explore these themes separately or see them as different sides of a stay.
Hiking trails and the outdoors
The Stellingenpad is 260 kilometres long and divided into 15 stages; in Friesland, the route passes through Haule, among other places. The approximately 350-kilometre-long Groot Frieslandpad (LAW 14) also runs past Haule. The 15 stages help you understand how the Stellingenpad is structured; the Groot Frieslandpad’s approximate total length gives you a sense of the distance. Haule is also on the Southeast Friesland hiking junction network.
A walking route leads from the car park by the skating rink on Dorpsstraat, over the skating rink’s dike and through a small wood beyond it, with a pingo pond, towards Blauwe Bos. The sequence turns individual waypoints into a specific route: car park, dike, woodland and pond. Check the trail conditions before setting out, as they may change.
Blauwe Bos lies between Haulerwijk, Haule and Waskemeer. Animals such as deer, edge-dwelling birds and amphibians find shelter there. At the end of Veenpettenweg is a grazing area where Natuurmonumenten is trying to restore nature so that meadow birds can nest there again. The forest and pasture landscape represent different aspects of nature: one provides shelter for several groups of animals, while the other is intended to welcome back nesting meadow birds.
A cycling route also leads to Haule: the Fietsroute Langs Donkerbroek passes through the hamlet of Bovenveld. Haule is a ribbon village with a natural area on either side. In the village itself, the artwork “Beeld Hein Mader Haule” stands on the village road that runs through Haule. Two steel halves hold a stone wedged between them—a striking combination of materials to look out for when viewing the artwork.
Village history and remembrance
Haule’s Dorpskerk dates from 1854; the present-day Protestant church was consecrated on 18 November 1855. The oldest grave in the churchyard is that of Trijntje Hendriks Beetsma. Together, the church and churchyard offer a tangible introduction to local history without requiring an extensive walk.
Another place of remembrance is Haule’s war memorial, a natural-stone memorial with two bronze plaques. It commemorates five residents of Haule and an Allied pilot who died as a result of acts of war: during the Second World War or the colonial war in Indonesia, then the Dutch East Indies. The plaques and the natural stone form a single memorial; its commemoration encompasses people from different wartime contexts.
Village festival and seasonal swimming
Haule’s village festival includes a parade and a celebration in a festival tent. It takes place once every five years. This unusual interval sets it apart from an event held annually; therefore, plan your visit around the date of the festival rather than assuming it takes place every year.
Nearby, in Haulerwijk, the Haulewelle outdoor swimming pool opened for the new swimming season on 18 April 2026. As the pool operates seasonally, check the current season dates before planning a visit. This makes the pool a possible addition at the right time of year, while hiking trails, art and village history offer other themes for planning your trip regardless of the season.
Discover more destinations: Appelscha, Oldeberkoop, Oosterwolde, Nijeberkoop, Fochteloo, Donkerbroek, Elsloo, Ravenswoud
For the broader travel overview: Ooststellingwerf.
