In the diverse forest area of the Drentsche Aa, Cabiner offers a unique way to spend the night in the Dutch wilderness. They have scattered eight cabins throughout this vast forest, kilometers apart from one another. You’ll find them tucked away in the woods. They’re accessible only on foot and completely self-sufficient—in other words, “off-grid.”
We set out to explore two cabins and set aside three days for the trip. Read on to find out how you can completely disconnect from civilization and immerse yourself in nature in just a few days.
You can choose to stay one or more nights in a single cabin, or you can go on a hike and sleep in a different cabin each night. By partnering with Staatsbosbeheer and emphasizing off-grid accommodations, you’re encouraged to be mindful of the environment. The cabins are designed to be relocated over time, so that the area can fully return to its original state.
In the forest area, you’ll find several swimming lakes with small beaches. The water is azure blue and surrounded by idyllic white-sand beaches. The lakes are surrounded by forests with picnic tables and restrooms.
From P1 to Cabin C8 (12 km) *****
Our hike begins on this beautiful summer day at parking lot P1. After picking up the meal kits we’d ordered, we set out on our hike. The 12-kilometer route through the quiet zone takes you along winding paths, between ancient trees, and past idyllic little ponds. The surroundings offer an ever-changing panorama: peaceful forests, open fields, and the occasional pond or pool—and with that, quite a lot of mosquitoes!
After a brisk hike—partly due to our backpacks, which are still quite heavy—we reach the beautifully situated Cabin C8. Cabiner’s cabins are equipped with two double beds, a wood-burning stove that heats both the room and the shower water, and a water pump that allows you to draw your own potable groundwater. At the back of the cabin is a small bathroom with a composting toilet. We cook over a wood fire in a cast-iron pot. We take our trash back with us to the starting point. This experience forces us to be mindful of our resources and reminds us of the value of water, energy, and food.
From Cabin C8 to Cabin C5 via P2 (5 km) *****
A storm is raging across the Netherlands tonight, but we’re sleeping soundly and staying warm and dry. After a healthy breakfast with perfectly ripe seasonal fruit, we continue our journey toward Cabin C5. This is a relatively short route of about 5 kilometers. Halfway there, we make a stop at P2 at Bospaviljoen De Woudstee. If you don’t want to hike long distances, or if you’re traveling with small children, you can choose to park your car here. P2 is only 2.5 km from both Cabin C5 and C8. De Woudstee also serves food, so you could make this hike with a lighter pack.
Cabin C5 is not far from the old Gasselterveld sand quarry, now a swimming lake. After a refreshing dip in the clear water, we take a walk around the lake, where there’s a pleasant walking trail. The soothing sounds of nature are occasionally punctuated by the voices of children who are clearly having fun at the small water adventure park by the lake. This brings our total for Day 2 to 11 km of walking.
We spend the evening cooking over our wood fire and listening to the birds and the toads swimming in a nearby little pond. We also enjoy the simple one-pot meal prepared on the wood stove. The stars twinkle brightly in the sky, and we imagine the badgers and wolves that also live in this area but are rarely seen, as evidenced by the diaries in the cabins.
From Cabin C5 to P1 (12 km) *****
It’s our last day, and it’s time to head back to P1. The 12-kilometer route takes us along new and familiar trails, past the numbered stones that mark the parcel numbers of the forest sections. These stones date back to the Ice Age and serve as a reminder of the time when this area was cleared for timber harvesting. Today we also cross the well-known Pieterpad. Yet we only come across two hikers.
At Ieberen Lake, near P1, we take one last dip and have a drink. Finally, we drop off the trash we’ve collected in the designated containers at P1 and head home, feeling satisfied and refreshed—as if we’d been away for a week! By the way, there are restrooms and a shower area at P1.
A large portion of the Drentsche Aa forest area is managed by Staatsbosbeheer. When the forest was established, roughly a century ago, a grid of 300 x 300-meter forest plots was chosen, with timber harvesting as the primary goal. Nowadays, nature is allowed to take its course, and the intention is actually for the boundaries between the forest, ponds, and heathland to blur. Here, you can walk through the woods for hours without encountering a single person and enjoy the silence and serenity of nature.
For a unique nature experience with a minimal ecological footprint, Cabiner’s cabins are the perfect choice. You can read more about their environmental impact on the Cabiner website.
Cabiner.nl partners with local businesses such as the natural foods store De Ieme, which provides the meal kits. The kits contain fresh and organic products that are perfect for a sustainable stay in nature. By using these packages, you support the local economy and enjoy seasonal recipes developed specifically for the cabins.
Our hike took us across the Hondsrug, a sand ridge that formed during the penultimate Ice Age and is part of the UNESCO Global Geopark. These sand ridges were where the first farmers settled, well over 3,000 years B.C. The stone burial monuments they left behind are better known as hunebeds. This area offers a rich history and a beautiful natural landscape that you can explore during your stay.
This article was created in collaboration with Cabiner.com
Mieke Tacken
I am an interior designer, photographer, and an avid nature hiker. I’ve lost my heart to the simplicity and beauty of hiking vacations. I also appreciate the unique experience of a stay that tells a story about local history or culture. Here, I share my stories and tips—whenever possible, with a light footprint and always with a heart full of wonder.
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