Discover Ter Apel: Monastery, Forest and Water
Accommodation in Ter Apel
Ter Apel combines medieval culture with a landscape of forests, heathland, fields, small lakes and meandering streams. The monastery was founded in 1464.
File:Westerwolde Ter Apel - Boslaan + Klooster 01 ies.jpg
Photo: Frank Vincentz via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Monastery, Paths and Water in Ter Apel
The free augmented reality app from the Klooster Ter Apel Museum guides visitors along a route through the monastery grounds to eight stations. The route takes about 40 minutes. Along the way, you can explore the monastery’s vanished upper floor and the former watermill. The permanent exhibition “Het kloosterleven van de Kruisheren” offers interactive stations: you can take a seat at the prior’s desk, lie down on a straw mattress, try out the speaking niche in the refectory and light a candle in the canons’ church.
The herb garden has beds bordered by boxwood hedges, containing medicinal plants, culinary herbs and plants used to make dyes. The former storehouse next to the museum houses Ter Apel’s tourist information point, with a presentation about Ter Apel and Westerwolde as well as free brochures and maps. The war memorial is a brick memorial column two metres high, one metre wide and one metre deep. It commemorates all fellow citizens who lost their lives through acts of war during the years of occupation.
Forest Paths and Countryside Around the Monastery
The Kanunnikenpad runs through the forests around Ter Apel Monastery in Westerwolde. The name Kanunnikenpad refers to the monastery’s former residents, the canons. The Ter Apel walking route follows the Ruiten Aa through a winding, wet and colourful stream valley. Most of the route passes through forests dating from the year 800; it also crosses the Ruiten Aa Canal by means of a 22.4-metre-long hand-operated cable ferry.
Route 26, “De Bosbeek Ter Apel”, is a 12.5-kilometre hiking trail along the Bosbeek in Ter Apel. At Ter Apel, the constructed Bosbeek forms a connection between the loop in Drenthe and the Ruiten Aa.
The Kanukjespad is a 2.4-kilometre adventure trail through the Kloosterbos. On foot, the route takes 60 to 90 minutes. Guided walks in the Kloosterbos provide information about plants and animals.
Waterways and Medieval Experiences
Ter Apel is located on the Veendam–Stadskanaal–Ter Apel waterway. During the boating season, from 1 May to 1 October, its bridges and locks are operated from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The annual “Middeleeuws Ter Apel” event includes a small archaeological excavation in which the public can take part. At the “Middeleeuws Ter Apel” market, visitors can view, taste and buy medieval products and drinks, including medieval beer.
For comparison with other destinations, you can also include Sellingen, Bourtange, Ter Apelkanaal and Vlagtwedde.
Back to the higher-level travel overview: Vlagtwedde.
