Exploring the Veluwe with the Forest and Heath route
Posted on 2022-07-08
Saturday morning, today is the day. My wife and I are going to the Veluwe Specialist in Uddel, where we have two
electric bicycles have rented. Once we arrived we were kindly greeted by a staff member. After giving our reservation, we are given a nice bike route booklet to look through. There are plenty of routes to choose from, but the "Forest and Heath" route appeals to us the most. Also because the employee talks about it so enthusiastically.
Our electric bikes are already there. They look clean and well maintained, nice! After a brief, but clear explanation of the bikes, we can get on our way. We cycle out of the yard and immediately end up in the woods. Soon we see a beautiful lake, the Uddelermeer. Wonderful how the sun reflects on the water. Meanwhile we read the information boards about the lake. It appears to be the highest natural lake in the Netherlands. Yet another fun fact to tell on birthdays ;).
After visiting Lake Uddelermeer, we cycle through a peaceful stretch of forest toward the Veluwe town of Garderen. Then we soon see the Speulderbos in the distance. This forest is also called "The forest with the dancing trees. They couldn't have chosen a better name, because we felt as if we had landed in a fairy tale.
A few kilometers further on we see the Ermelosche Heide appear before us. There is a visitor's center at the sheepfold. The perfect place to take a break for a cup of coffee and a fresh piece of apple pie. Delicious! While quietly enjoying ourselves we look out on the sheepfold where the flock is present. At that time there were at least 300 sheep walking around, but we stopped counting at 20 sheep. After all, we were not supposed to fall asleep....
We get back on our bikes and encounter a bumpy bike path. It's good that the suspension of the bikes can handle these kinds of paths and absorb the shocks. Meanwhile, it seems wise to keep pedaling, because the sky is getting cloudy. The rain drops are already falling from the sky when we arrive at Staverden Castle. We take shelter in the beautiful brasserie. Despite the rain, we can admire the beautifully landscaped castle garden. Look there are a few white peacocks, a quick picture!
Fortunately, it is only a localized shower and we can continue our adventure towards Elspeet. Once there we see signs about the regional store 'Het Brandpunt'. A little off the route, but certainly worthwhile to buy some regional products for home. Still nice that we got panniers to put the things we bought in.
Our route seems almost at an end when we arrive back in Uddel. After all that cycling we have gotten thirsty. At the local supermarket we quickly get a bottle of water. After a couple of good sips we are back on the road. Staying hydrated is obviously very important. After leaving the second-to-last junction of the cycle route behind us, we see the flags of the Veluwe Specialist. Too bad, it's over unfortunately. The employee kindly takes our electric bikes back and asks if we have taken everything out of the panniers. Really a top service!
What a great route, and what a wonderful day. We cycled almost 30 kilometers anyway. That's something to be proud of! In two weeks we will explore the area around Otterlo.
