Getelo: Borderland, juniper and cycling routes

Getelo stretches along the German-Dutch border. The village combines borderland, prehistoric traces and cycling routes through the countryside. Getelo’s Dutch neighbours include Mander and Vasse; both are part of the municipality of Tubbergen. This gives you various options for planning your trip – from the history of Söven Pölle to cycling tours through fields and forests.

Seven burial mounds and a heathland area

Söven Pölle is a prehistoric archaeological monument with seven burial mounds and is designated as a nature reserve. The enclosed area is covered with heathland and juniper bushes. Archaeological history and a heathland-and-juniper landscape meet in the same place here. Söven Pölle lies on a minor road between Getelo and Itterbeck.

From moorland to a cultural landscape

The landscape today also tells a story of change. The former moorlands in Getelo and Itterbeck were drained and cultivated in the late 1950s. Where peat was once extracted, there are now fertile meadows and farmland. The view across meadows and fields can therefore also be seen as a view of a changing landscape.

Cycling routes around Uelsen

Three rural scenic routes around Uelsen run mostly on rideable gravel paths through meadows, forests and fields. They are integrated into the regional numbered-junction system and can be combined or planned individually. The routes are considered suitable for day trips, family cycling tours and short breaks in nature. Signs help you navigate along the way.

The Uelsen–Getelo–Halle route passes through juniper scrub, forests and open fields to the Lönsberg observation tower. Several different landscapes are therefore a feature of this route. When choosing your cycling tour, you can compare this route with the three scenic routes around Uelsen, depending on which landscapes you would like to include in your plans.

Regional ingredients and the bigger picture

One product with regional connections is Grafschafter Kräuterwacholder. It is made using wheat from the County of Bentheim and juniper berries from the Tillenberge nature reserve in Nordhorn and the Spöllberg natural monument in Uelsen.

In the County of Bentheim, heathland, raised and low moors, wooded ridges and the Vecht valley alternate. Itterbecker Heide is a nature reserve covering around 85 hectares. This regional perspective adds other landscape types within the wider destination of the County of Bentheim to the story of the moorlands in Getelo and Itterbeck.

The open-air art museum Kunstwegen brings together contemporary art, nature and history and stretches for more than 180 kilometres through the Vecht valley. More than 80 sculpture projects are located along the route; the collection may change. Another regional cycling route is the main route of the Grafschafter Fietsentour: it is about 220 kilometres long and passes through every municipality in the district. Check the current route before planning your trip.

Two museums in Nordhorn focus on different subjects. The Shipping Museum covers 350 square metres and displays, among other things, historic ship models, nautical instruments, sea charts and information about shipbuilding. Nordhorn City Museum uses three listed industrial buildings for permanent and special exhibitions.

For visitors staying overnight for tourism in the County of Bentheim: the Grafschafter Gästekarte allows free use of buses and trains throughout the district. Check the current card terms and conditions before your trip.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Lage, Laar, Bad Bentheim, Hoogstede, Uelsen, Emlichheim, Neuenhaus, Wilsum.

For the main travel overview: County of Bentheim.