Nice walks in the Veluwe

Faithful followers of OpstapmetLisa know by now that I love to go hiking with my girlfriends from the wine, er, hiking club. In the winter, the idea was born to go away for a hiking weekend to the Veluwe with the five of us in the spring. Due to our busy lives, it became a little later, but Friday, June 28, was the day! We left for Vierhouten to enjoy being together and hiking!

Let’s go!

On Friday after dinner the five of us left in one car for Vierhouten. That went fine! We laughed along the way, so our spirits were high. The cottage in Vierhouten is owned by the family of one of the girls, so it was very nice to be able to take a look there. Upon arrival we brought the stuff upstairs, made the beds and sat in the garden with a glass of wine and something tasty. And not too late to bed of course, because we have a long trip ahead of us tomorrow.

Very hot

The forecast for Saturday’s hike did not look so good. It was going to be very hot and there was another thing we were afraid of: the oak processionary caterpillar. So we had to take the necessary measures to avoid dropping out halfway through. We planned to do an NS hike from Vierhouten to Harderwijk. That’s over 20 km.

Now we are all experienced walkers, but at 30 degrees Celsius it is a different story. So we had to bring enough water. And we had a gel like the ones cyclists use when we needed an extra energy boost. Of course we also took bananas for energy. After we had covered ourselves with factor 30 and DEET against insects, we were ready to go! Our starting point was the parking lot at the visitor center Nunspeet so we happily stepped into the pine forest.

Oak processionary caterpillar

What I did worry about beforehand was the arrival of the oak processionary caterpillar. This animal has been spotted in the Netherlands for years, but this year it is very extreme. The burning hairs of this animal are very annoying and can cause itching and an enormous burning sensation, as well as breathing problems. Since in asthma, I was particularly concerned about the latter. As a precaution, we brought a sticky clothes brush and aloe vera gel. And just hope we didn’t encounter too many oak trees along the way. Unfortunately, we couldn’t avoid them all equally well and saw bunches of caterpillars hanging around. We just hoped the clothes roller would help enough.

Wonderfully quiet

The walk we had chosen went through the forest, across the sandy plain and along roads past farms. Very varied! Fortunately, the sand plain was already at the beginning of the hike because otherwise it would be much too hot. What a beautiful environment! We didn’t really see much wildlife (we were too noisy for that, oops), but we did see hazelworms and mice. And a lot of birds, of course! It’s really nice to hike in a completely different environment for a change. It is also very quiet there and in most places we could just walk side by side without constantly looking over our shoulders to make sure no cars or cyclists were coming. Lovely!

Rest Point

According to the route we were walking, there should be a rest point in the middle of the forest. By now we were 8 km underway, so it was quite welcome! We had to make a detour, but it was worth it! We ended up at a very cute little house, in the middle of nowhere, but fully equipped with everything we needed. A kind of real mirage.

There was a very neatly maintained toilet, a tap with cold water to refill your bottle, jars of jam to buy, a newspaper and even a fridge with a freezer that held rockets and cans of cola! Really all over the place! You could leave the money for the refreshments but you could also transfer it. We chose the latter. There are many more Rustpunten like this in the Netherlands. Check out Rust.nu for these. Ideal for a long walk or bike ride!

Onward in good spirits

Recharged again, we continued on our way. The landscape changed again because now we walked mostly on paths along cows and asphalt. You really started to notice that it was getting hotter and hotter and the bottles of water were going fast. However, the spirit was still there, even when we had to brave a lane full of oak trees. We had to take it to get to our lunch location. We went for lunch on a stand, namely at Castle de Essenburgh. We found the castle at the end of a giant driveway.

There we found a cozy, sheltered terrace. We were also allowed a peek inside. We ordered something to drink and sank into the chairs, tired but satisfied. Then it was time to study the menu. We went for hamburgers and satay dishes. Really delicious. After lunch it was time to move on. On to Harderwijk!

Quite heavy

After lunch we all noticed that the walking was getting a bit harder. The temperature had risen to 34 degrees (but the wind chill was much higher) and shelter was sometimes hard to find. In fact, we were walking on asphalt along cornfields. Fortunately, there were occasional sprinklers along the road so we could stand in the mist and wet our towelettes. Fortunately, we had all re-greased with factor 30 so we were well protected. Hats were no luxury either. I was super glad that I had brought a second pair of shoes and socks. Beforehand I doubted this very much, but I could not have made a better choice.

An ice cream

As we approached Harderwijk, some of us began to have a hard time. A cafeteria was indicated on the NS walking route, but it turned out to be closed. It would have come just at the right time, so that was a shame.

As some of us began to color like their pink towel, it really was time to find an alternative. We found that in the form of a gas station. In there it was nice and cool and we could really relax for a while.

The water ice creams tasted good too. A change from yet another liter of water. The staff also sympathized with us: they probably thought we were crazy to walk so far in this weather. But then again, we had pinned this weekend and we’re no wimps. So when the ice creams were finished we headed for Harderwijk!

Harderwijk

I used to visit Harderwijk regularly because I used to vacation with my parents in Hierden. How it had changed! It had become so modern! I actually only recognized the city wall and the Dolfinarium. We settled down on a terrace there and celebrated our near victory with a glass of wine and sparkling water.

The last stage would only be a trip to Harderwijk station, but from the harbor that was still quite a distance. Once we had gathered our courage again for the final stretch, we set off. This took us through the old city center(Vischmarkt) and we heard that the Dutch soccer women had won against Italy. Super fun!

Going to the cottage

Once at the station it was only a few minutes of waiting before the train in the direction of Zwolle arrived. We only needed 1 stop to Nunspeet, so that wasn’t too bad. In the end there was over 24 km on the counter! What an achievement! Then we went back to Vierhouten where we enjoyed our personal victory in the garden for a long time. This fall we go again and then maybe the conditions will be a little more favorable than today.

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