Over old roads

Many roads in Drenthe were unpaved and difficult to pass during wet periods. Van Gogh wrote about the southern part of his journey: "Along a road, or ‘diek’ as they say here, which they’d put mud on to raise it instead of sand. I saw ploughmen, very busy now, a sand-cart, shepherds, road workers, dung-carts." 

Near Zweeloo he saw road labourers on his route back to New Amsterdam/Veenoord. A cobblestone road was built between Zweeloo and Sleen at that time, on 28 October the road from Erm over South Sleen and North Sleen to the border with the municipality of Sleen and Zweeloo was reopened. So Vincent walked in part along the new cobblestone road and prob- ably saw road labourers working on their final tasks