Ruinen is a traditional brink village in Drenthe, one of those quiet Dutch settlements built around a village green where sheep once grazed. The surrounding landscape is all heathland, forest and cycling paths — this is the kind of place where you come to slow down.
The brink and St. Mary's Church at the village centre are the historic heart of the settlement — the church stands where a Benedictine monastery was founded in 1140, and the green is one of the finest surviving examples of a traditional Drenthe brink. Dwingelderveld National Park, just north of the village, is the largest continuous heathland in the Netherlands and spectacular in late summer when the heather blooms purple. The hunebedden — prehistoric megalithic tombs built around 3000 BCE — are scattered across the surrounding countryside and easily reached by bicycle.
There are a handful of restaurants, including a pannenkoekenboerderij (pancake farm) popular with families, and a couple of bungalow parks for longer stays. The village makes a good base for Drenthe's prehistoric and natural highlights.