Other Amsterdam blogs
To be honest, the Netherlands isn’t a natural hiking destination, as it’s known to be one of the flattest countries in the world. Still credit to the Dutch, they have created many options for people to still go and have some sort of hiking (more like walking) experiences within the country. So these places offer the opportunity to walk around in nature, sometimes over small hills, sometimes on sand dunes, sometimes through forests, and sometimes through grasslands.
Most of the walks I did were in the dunes, these huge sand features mostly distributed along the Netherlands coast. They were never too high, a bit sandy and mostly had a lot of shrub type of vegetation. And in between, there would be a lot of waterbodies - small ponds, lakes, rivulets and so on (Everywhere in the Netherlands, there is water somehow!). These walks quite often were windy as they were near the sea, but still quite refreshing. Always ‘uitwaaien’. Other than that, I did some walks in the Veluwe forest area.
Overall the infrastructure in the Netherlands supports these activities very well. There is public transport to get to all these places. It's possible to get a train at multiple spots on a trail, in case you want to cut short your walk. There are bicycles at many of these stations, to rent and explore. And there are restaurants, cafes and any other facilities that one would need. All of it makes it so much more convenient to go out and explore nature, knowing that you will be taken care of.
Below are a few of such excursions that I went on.
Bison trail (13 kms, Oct 2021)
The Bison trail lies to the north of Amsterdam, starting in the town of Zandvoort and ending in Bloemendaal. On the trail, you can spot the European bison, roaming around freely in the forests. We took a train till Zandvoort and then walked on the trail. Overall, it was well marked.
The landscape was mostly dunes, with some trees and some shrubs here and there but mostly it was dry. There were also some waterbodies on the way. We had heard you can sometimes spot huge bison herds here. We only managed to spot one bison, from far away, while it was moving from an open space into the forest. As we continued the walk, we did spot a few highland cows just sitting and enjoying the day. We also spotted a few fairy rings of mushrooms while on the walk.
We walked to a lake and to an observation point above it to spot some bisons (there are a few of these raised places around), but we had no luck still. So we just headed back to Overveen station, had coffee at a café right next to the station while waiting for our train, and then were back by late afternoon. It's surprising that most of my Dutch friends hadn't even heard of this place. But maybe not that surprising as it wasn’t really an outstanding experience. Still it was a nice short day out, a place to go out for a walk in fall.
Bergen aan Zee (11 kms, Apr 2024)
This was one of those cases of us being Dutch, where just because it was sunny (though still extremely cold), we set out for a walk from the beach, Bergen aan Zee. The walk was mostly over the dunes, with the usual dry shrub vegetation, some sandy dunes and many water bodies in between. When we finished the walk, we had lunch in the sun at one of the restaurants on the promenade. It was fun. And on the drive back, we stopped at some tulip fields on the way (I didn't even know there were tulip fields in the North too). Overall, the walk was ok, just a good way to be out in nature.
Castricum (12 kms, Jan 2024)
One winter morning, we decided to do some Netherlands tourist-ing 😊. We found a random town to visit which was near the sea, so we could walk through the dunes till the beach. So we drove to the town of Castricum, a sweet little place and then did a long 12 kms walk along the dunes. There was some greenery and a lot of water bodies around among the dunes. We couldn't see the sea though. And as it was windy (though sunny) we quickly turned around and came back to town. We had a nice cosy lunch at one of the few restaurants in town and were really impressed with how friendly all the people were. Much better than Amsterdam. (Now that I have discovered the Dutch word ‘uitwaaien’, I feel this was another example of that only).
Meijendel trail near Wassenaar (15 kms, Aug 2024)
One summer afternoon, a group of us friends decided to explore a different part of the Netherlands. The Wassenaar area. We decided to go for a walk in the dunes, and then spend our day at the beach. When we drove to the starting point in Wassenaar, we were blown away by the stunning houses we passed by - it was clearly an extremely rich part of the country.
For our walk, we walked through some dunes next to the sea. It was a long trail (about 8 kms one way) in the hot sun. And the last part of the walk was on the beach, the Wassenaarse Slag beach. Also once on the beach, we realised that this was a nudist beach, something we hadn't experienced in the Netherlands yet. Anyways we ignored it. And had a long lazy lunch on the promenade. It was just so much fun, though a bit too hot. After that, we somehow found the energy to walk all the way back to our car. It had been a very nice day out, one of the tropical-feel days we had in the Netherlands.
Schoorl (14 kms, March 2022; June 2022, July 2022)
Somehow, I turned up at the small village of Schoorl north of Amsterdam three times in a year! There isn’t a lot to do there but still somehow 😊. The visit I remember the most though was when we went for a walk there, in the spring of 2022. We did a long walk starting from the city, through the dunes, all the way till the sea. It was a nice fresh walk of about 14 kms, going up and down the dunes, crossing some water bodies, lakes and small ponds. We also crossed an area where in the snow, the locals sledge down a hill (it may have been artificially created, am not sure).
When we got to the sea, we were expecting some of the seaside restaurants to be open but not many were. We found one though which was a bit of a walk. At least we were able to have a quick warm snack and get our energy back as it had gotten extremely windy by that time. And then we walked all the way back to town.
Again, it was nothing outstanding to write home about, but a nice walk nonetheless. The other two times I visited the town was for company off-sites, but we barely stepped out of our hotel then other than for a walk to a nearby river. So I don’t remember much from those visits.
Veluwe area (5 trips)
The Veluwe National Park is quite a favourite park locally, and is mentioned by everyone looking for a quick adventure nearby. It is one of the biggest forested areas of the Netherlands and many people stay there overnight when visiting. It is split into the Veluwezoom part and the Hoge Veluwe part. Both are wide expanses of hills covered in forests and shrubs, famous for turning purple with heather flowers, in August.
As it was a 2 hour drive from Amsterdam, we ended up mostly doing day trips there. And I think I visited the park at least 5 times, if not more. Twice we hiked in the Veluwezoom part (and ended up on the same trail both times!). Once we did a hike in the Hoge Veluwe part which requires an entry ticket to enter, and houses the famous Kroller-Muller museum. And on two other occasions I went for a long walk in the park with a colleague who lived nearby, to the Lake Vuursche area and once in the Veluwe forest park, both neighbouring the National Park.
Veluwezoom National Park (8 kms, September 2021; 10 kms, July 2022)
We visited the park twice, once in fall to see fall colours on the trees and once in summer. Both times, we ended up hiking in the same area though😊. We walked around the Postbank which is the highest point in the park at 90m. We walked for about 10 kms both times, and mostly walked up and down the hills and the forests.
On the trail in fall, we saw some purple covered hills. As well as wild horses just running across the moors. We also saw a sheep herding school where dogs were being trained to herd sheep, with the trainer and dog running around, and the sheep running even faster. There were some fall colours in the park, though not as much as I had expected. We saw more fall colours on the drive there and back, than in the park itself.
In the summer walk, we walked through the same moors and then through a fern forest which was a very bright green. And where we got lost for a while. We again passed by some wild horses running after each other and playing around. We also ran into an old couple who showed us how to pluck local blackberries. We picked a few and then ate them for the rest of the walk. There are also a few nice restaurants there to stop and have a bite.
To be honest, I wasn’t really impressed by the park, though it’s a nice place in nature to go to nearby. Maybe if we stay there, the experience may be different. But for now, I wasn’t as impressed.
Hoge Veluwe National Park (June 2022)
The Hoge Veluwe is the paid part of the Veluwe National Park and is quite famous for the Kroller-Muller museum located inside. It houses hundreds of paintings owned by the Kroller-Muller family, which they later turned into a museum. We first walked through the sculptures outside as it was a sunny day. Then we went in to see the paintings and loved it! My favourites were the cubist ones, the pointillism ones and some of the Van Goghs there.
After the museum, there wasn’t enough time for a hike. So we walked around a bit, found a lake and sat around it in the sun. Somehow it felt like the Hoge was flatter than the Veluwezoom, and had less hikes. I loved the museum inside, that was worth it. The rest of the park, not so much.
Veluwe forest park (9 kms, April 2024)
In spring 2024, I did another walk in the Veluwe area but outside of the National Park zone. We walked through green paths, surrounded with forests but mostly through flatlands. There was also a lot of water on the trail and lush greenery all around. It was quite a refreshing walk.
Lage Vuursche (14 kms, Jan 2024)
As another example of ‘uitwaaien’, I met a colleague for a walk in nature near Lage Vuursche. This walk is neighbouring the park and is considered part of the same area. We walked through the park across multiple trails. The routes were all covered by huge trees. And we saw loads of people cycling there. We took a wrong turn and ended up walking a lot longer than expected. But at the end, we were rewarded with a very cosy lunch at the teahouse, surrounded by nature. It had a warm rustic feeling to it and offered a very warm cosy meal after the long cold walk.
Tri country hike near Aachen (12 kms, Aug 2024)
One summer day, we went for the tri country hike in the south of the Netherlands. It is called so because the hike takes you through three countries - the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. It starts from a spot near Vaals town. The town by itself was so pretty when we drove through. Also, since we had driven from Amsterdam and it was already lunch time by the time we reached, we ate a hearty meal of golgappas in the greenery before starting the hike.
The start of the trail was very busy with crowds. It was definitely a popular place. Right at the beginning, there was a marker on the ground where the three countries' borders came together. And one could just jump around the marker and enter the three countries (technically). After this exciting experience, we started our hike.
We did a part of the trail, about 12 kms. It was mostly through forests on small hills (yes some parts of the Netherlands do have them!). All around there was so much greenery and freshness. On the way, we crossed some farms with farm animals, and some bungalows including a tea shop selling local produce. At times we could see the town of Aachen faraway in the valley. And we also encountered many old people just out for an evening walk from the nearby cities. All through the hike, we encountered markers stating which country we were in - the Netherlands, Germany or Belgium. And we did switch between the countries a lot.
Overall it was a fun hike, not too strenuous but definitely more than the walks we did in the Netherlands. And since it was a warm day, it was quite enjoyable. At the end of the hike, we stopped at a restaurant in the Netherlands with a view of Aachen, a town in Germany. We had hot chocolate while enjoying this view. And then we had the long drive back home. Overall the trail was nice but just the feeling of crossing in and out of multiple countries was the highlight here.
Other Amsterdam blogs
Bison trail (13 kms, Oct 2021)
The Bison trail lies to the north of Amsterdam, starting in the town of Zandvoort and ending in Bloemendaal. On the trail, you can spot the European bison, roaming around freely in the forests. We took a train till Zandvoort and then walked on the trail. Overall, it was well marked.
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| On the Bison trail |
We walked to a lake and to an observation point above it to spot some bisons (there are a few of these raised places around), but we had no luck still. So we just headed back to Overveen station, had coffee at a café right next to the station while waiting for our train, and then were back by late afternoon. It's surprising that most of my Dutch friends hadn't even heard of this place. But maybe not that surprising as it wasn’t really an outstanding experience. Still it was a nice short day out, a place to go out for a walk in fall.
Bergen aan Zee (11 kms, Apr 2024)
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| Highland cow on way to Bergen |
Castricum (12 kms, Jan 2024)
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| Castricum |
Meijendel trail near Wassenaar (15 kms, Aug 2024)
One summer afternoon, a group of us friends decided to explore a different part of the Netherlands. The Wassenaar area. We decided to go for a walk in the dunes, and then spend our day at the beach. When we drove to the starting point in Wassenaar, we were blown away by the stunning houses we passed by - it was clearly an extremely rich part of the country.
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| Wassenaar dunes |
Schoorl (14 kms, March 2022; June 2022, July 2022)
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| Schoorl trail |
When we got to the sea, we were expecting some of the seaside restaurants to be open but not many were. We found one though which was a bit of a walk. At least we were able to have a quick warm snack and get our energy back as it had gotten extremely windy by that time. And then we walked all the way back to town.
Again, it was nothing outstanding to write home about, but a nice walk nonetheless. The other two times I visited the town was for company off-sites, but we barely stepped out of our hotel then other than for a walk to a nearby river. So I don’t remember much from those visits.
Veluwe area (5 trips)
The Veluwe National Park is quite a favourite park locally, and is mentioned by everyone looking for a quick adventure nearby. It is one of the biggest forested areas of the Netherlands and many people stay there overnight when visiting. It is split into the Veluwezoom part and the Hoge Veluwe part. Both are wide expanses of hills covered in forests and shrubs, famous for turning purple with heather flowers, in August.
As it was a 2 hour drive from Amsterdam, we ended up mostly doing day trips there. And I think I visited the park at least 5 times, if not more. Twice we hiked in the Veluwezoom part (and ended up on the same trail both times!). Once we did a hike in the Hoge Veluwe part which requires an entry ticket to enter, and houses the famous Kroller-Muller museum. And on two other occasions I went for a long walk in the park with a colleague who lived nearby, to the Lake Vuursche area and once in the Veluwe forest park, both neighbouring the National Park.
Veluwezoom National Park (8 kms, September 2021; 10 kms, July 2022)
We visited the park twice, once in fall to see fall colours on the trees and once in summer. Both times, we ended up hiking in the same area though😊. We walked around the Postbank which is the highest point in the park at 90m. We walked for about 10 kms both times, and mostly walked up and down the hills and the forests.
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| Veluewzoom Park |
In the summer walk, we walked through the same moors and then through a fern forest which was a very bright green. And where we got lost for a while. We again passed by some wild horses running after each other and playing around. We also ran into an old couple who showed us how to pluck local blackberries. We picked a few and then ate them for the rest of the walk. There are also a few nice restaurants there to stop and have a bite.
To be honest, I wasn’t really impressed by the park, though it’s a nice place in nature to go to nearby. Maybe if we stay there, the experience may be different. But for now, I wasn’t as impressed.
Hoge Veluwe National Park (June 2022)
The Hoge Veluwe is the paid part of the Veluwe National Park and is quite famous for the Kroller-Muller museum located inside. It houses hundreds of paintings owned by the Kroller-Muller family, which they later turned into a museum. We first walked through the sculptures outside as it was a sunny day. Then we went in to see the paintings and loved it! My favourites were the cubist ones, the pointillism ones and some of the Van Goghs there.
After the museum, there wasn’t enough time for a hike. So we walked around a bit, found a lake and sat around it in the sun. Somehow it felt like the Hoge was flatter than the Veluwezoom, and had less hikes. I loved the museum inside, that was worth it. The rest of the park, not so much.
Veluwe forest park (9 kms, April 2024)
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| Veluwe forest park |
Lage Vuursche (14 kms, Jan 2024)
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| On the Lage Vuursche trail |
Tri country hike near Aachen (12 kms, Aug 2024)
One summer day, we went for the tri country hike in the south of the Netherlands. It is called so because the hike takes you through three countries - the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. It starts from a spot near Vaals town. The town by itself was so pretty when we drove through. Also, since we had driven from Amsterdam and it was already lunch time by the time we reached, we ate a hearty meal of golgappas in the greenery before starting the hike.
The start of the trail was very busy with crowds. It was definitely a popular place. Right at the beginning, there was a marker on the ground where the three countries' borders came together. And one could just jump around the marker and enter the three countries (technically). After this exciting experience, we started our hike.
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| Tri-country hike |
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| Aachen from the restaurant |
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