This bike route is a feast for the eyes
The Veluwe remains our country's pre-eminent region for fantastic hiking and biking, and the landscape in this northern section is also astonishingly beautiful. This route runs clockwise through the village of Emst via Hanendorp to Gortel, where forests and moors mark the landscape and a good number of monumental farmhouses form a picturesque backdrop. The route to Vierhouten is a feast for the eyes due to the diversity of the surroundings. There is a good chance of encountering roe deer and wild boar here, especially in the morning hours. The village of Vierhouten has a number of attractions of allure, including a beautiful Amphitheater and the Hidden Village, a former hiding camp with many reminders of WWII. The Vierhouter forest is characterized by conifers, beeches and oaks, interspersed with heaths and sand drifts. This area used to be owned by the Kingdom House, was used as hunting grounds, but is now owned by the Forestry Commission. From Vierhouten, this 38-kilometer route continues toward Tongeren, where the beautiful Heideveld of the same name is only partially open to the public, primarily to protect its extensive wildlife. Badgers, wild boar and many birds of prey have their habitat here, and in recent years several vipers species have also been found.