The walk starts at the 't Hijkerveld sheepfold and goes through the beautiful Hijkerveld heathland. The Hijkerveld is one of the largest heathlands in Drenthe. Large parts were used for habitation until the Iron Age. Iron Age farmers used small, walled, ridge-shaped fields, called Celtic fields. Remains of these prehistoric fields lie on the heathland. Burial mounds and old cart tracks also point to earlier habitation. For centuries, the area was used exclusively for grazing, a traditional practice that has been restored by Het Drentse Landschap (The Drentse Landscape). From the heathland, you walk through an open landscape to the Diependal bird sanctuary. Diependal was once used as a floodplain complex by the Oranje potato starch factory. The floodplains have been transformed into a bird sanctuary by Het Drentse Landschap. The area is rich in rare marsh and water birds. The birdwatching hut in the center of the area is accessible via a 162-meter-long tunnel. After visiting the hide, the route continues towards the Korteweg Estate. This estate owes its name to the Korteweg family, who were involved in the heathland reclamation near Smilde. However, the estate was never entirely reclaimed for agricultural purposes. Forests were, however, planted there. Today, the estate consists of woodlands with interspersed heathlands, crisscrossed by a path pattern with a characteristic ten-way junction. Once through the forest, the route continues across the Hijkerveld, returning to the sheepfold.