Camping Graswijk

If the sun’s out, make your way to the lake at Baggelhuizerplas (five minutes’ drive) for swims in the water, sunbathing sessions on the beaches and walks in the nearby forest. Activities are organised here year-round: look out for events including volleyball tournaments, ghost-hunting tours and music festivals. For more dips, the subtropical De Bonte Wever aqua centre (five minutes) is a top space for diving into the wave pool, floating on the wild water creek or swooshing down the slides. Relaxation’s also sorted with whirlpools, saunas and herbal baths galore. Seeking activities that are more historically inclined? Head to Orvelte to see what life was like for Saxon farmers centuries ago in an open-air museum giving a taste of another era through themed days, folk groups, special markets and theatrical performances. Another destination delving into the past is the Herinneringscentrum Kamp Westerbork (15 minutes), an old WWII Nazi transit camp transformed into a memorial centre. Visit this vitally important spot to learn out about the systematic persecution of Jewish people during a dark period for the Netherlands. To school yourself some more on the area, don’t miss the Drents Museum in Assen, a 4,600-square-metre space displaying archaeological artefacts as well as art from 1885 to 1935. The wing designed by Erick van Egeraat’s particularly impressive if you’re an architecture aficionado.