When you plan to visit the Hunebed twins in Noord-Sleen do yourself a favour and visit D51, the southern one, first. Otherwise you will probably be disappointed, because it is much smaller (12.3m x 3.5m) and in a poorer condition compared with its bigger and better preserved counterpart D50 Noord sleen.
Compared to older photos, also here on TMA, where the Hunebed seems to be more in an "open" environment, it is now more in a small clearing, thanks to the vegetation. From the original seven capstones, only three have survived, the second from the eastern end tilted into the chamber. From the portal one of the sidestones is missing and only two stone both on the eastern side still exists, generating a sizeably gap.
You will almost certainly encounter hunebed D51 Noord Sleen en route to its much better preserved twin, D50, which lies about 100 metres farther along on the opposite side of the road (Hunebedweg).
D51 is very much the poor relation in this hunebed pair: it is somewhat smaller (at 12.3 × 3.5 metres), completely lacks a ring of kerbstones, and has clearly been the target of stone robbers over the ages. All but one of the original 14 sidestones remain in place though, but of the complement of capstones, only two of the assumed seven originals are still to be seen, one still supported and the other partly slumped into the crypt. There is an entrance portal with three of its original four stones still present.
Following Julian's instructions in The Megalithic European we quickly located D50 and D51 at the tiny hamlet of Noordsleen, near Emmen.
Our footsteps crunching the 150ms up the icy farm track towards the copse in which they lie, the first hunebed you reach is D51. With only three capstones remaining, this site feels a bit trashed, but with snow on the stones and the huge flat fields all around glistening it felt exciting and special to be there, as this was both Moth's and Cleo's first hunebed.
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