Natuurcamping Landgoed Mariahoeve

To see more of the diverse terrain in Drenthe, take a 20-minute car trip to the Dwingelderveld, a protected reserve that represents Europe’s largest stretch of wet moorland. It’s a haven for rare plants, butterflies and birds, explorable by various routes including, for the strong of leg and heart, a 22-kilometre running trail. Just over the German border, the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park (50 minutes) beckons, with its shifting sandbanks, tidal creeks and salt marshes, visited by seals and porpoises and many species of migrating birds. You can make like a bird yourself closer to home at the leisure base in Grolloo, combining all manner of outdoor climbing and high ropes with assault courses, paddleboarding and kayaking. Or let someone else hurtle you about instead: rides for every constitution are at Drouwenerzand Attractiepark, 15 minutes away, along with a splash zone and train ride. If that’s not wild enough for some of you, there’s regular high-octane action on the motorsport circuit at Assen (10 minutes), the home of the Dutch TT, while a host of beasts, cute, furry, rare and ferocious are waiting to meet you at Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (25 minutes).