Sheep drive

With the arrival of sheep herds in the 18th and 19th centuries, significant changes occurred in the landscape of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. The sheep grazed the common wastelands. Ultimately, this resulted in vast, open heath fields and shifting sands, and practically all the original forest of the Heuvelrug had disappeared. A pattern of sheep paths emerged on the Heuvelrug, the routes along which the sheep traveled from the barn to the heath. Since the sheep also needed to drink along the way, pits were dug in places where groundwater was easily accessible. At night, the sheep stayed in sheepfolds, midway between the Heuvelrug and the farms located around the Langbroekerwetering and the Kromme Rijn. The herd consisted of about 150 to 200 sheep. They provided farmers with wool, meat, milk, and manure. The still recognizable sheep drives to the west of Doorn are the Broekweg, Stamerweg, Woestduinlaan, and the Drift.

Rieno ✅ Routes