As I looked out from the window of my hotel room in the Dutch village Otterlo, I could see a heath of a few kilometres long. It looked beautiful with purple and green colours, here and there a tree, and a narrow sand path crossing it. The abundance of iron in the soil made the sand red-coloured. But there was something else…the heath had an ending. It seemed to end in a hill of sand, and I could not see what lied beyond it. I spent a great deal of my child hood there and as a little boy I was certain about one thing: that sand hill was the end of the world. Whatever lied behind was a mystery.
It took a long waiting time until the age of ten, and a best friend to accompany me, to have the courage to pass this edge of the world and discover what lied beneath. It turned out to be a forest, filled with scary creatures such as wild boar, deer whose leader is named after a deer wearing a crucifix, beautiful trees and heathland, paths formed by ice ages, the remains of an old desert and even ruins of a nazi airport. This forest was surely enchanted! It became, and remained as of this day, my favourite place in all of The Netherlands.
A young Robin, with the edge of the world behind me 
The heath as it looks today, the sand hill still there 
Over 40 years later, and still visiting the same hotel; still admiring the beautiful views during breakfast
The Hoge Veluwe is one of the few national parks of The Netherlands. Created by Anton Kröller and wife Helene Kröller-Müller family, with a passion for nature and art. Entering the park from the village Otterlo, it’s a short drive by either car or free-to-use white bike to the visitors centre. There are two wild observation sites close-by where in particular in the early morning or evening deer can be spotted.
Deer in the evening light 
A lonely deer… 
…but not for long. Wild boar make him decide to leave quickly
The surroundings are hilly, unusual in The Netherlands, and hills such as the 53m French Mountain provide for at least ample possibility to train a bit for mountaineering. The French Mountain is called after the French troops who used the hill as a lookout post, during the occupation by Napoleon. One of the small hills provided for a hidden shelter built to hide pieces of Helene Kröller-Müller’s art collection, which included several Van Gogh’s and Picasso’s, during World War 2.
Nice lookout from the hills 
Gardens surrounding the museum 
WW2 art hiding place
As part of my training, I often start a hike from the visitors centre and move North to the St. Hubertus lodge. The forest is dense and is a favourite among wild boars, which can frequently be seen in the evening. Parts of the path are on natural walls, formed by glaciers during the ice ages, and provide a lovely view on to the flowers beneath the walls. I do carry a wooden walking stick, as it wouldn’t be the first time that a wild boar charges me…
Upon arrival at the St. Hubertus lodge (which looks like a castle) you are welcomed by a beautiful lake. The name St. Hubertus is named after the bishop Hubertus (656-727 AD) who met a deer with a crucifix on its head in the forest, and received a lecture to hold animals in high regard. Respecting this lecture, the alfa deer of the Hoge Veluwe park is still called Hubertus.
The real Hubertus. Didn’t spot the crucifix 
Lakes around the lodge 
A little rest with the lodge in front 
At the lodge, ducks interested 
but carps too… 
Butterfly with company
Walking East from there to another village called Hoenderloo, several fields surrounded by low trees can provide for beautiful photo opportunities. You can even find traces of ‘Kings roads’ from the 17th century, built for e.g. (King’s) stadholder Willem III. A bit South of Hoenderloo the soil looks like a swamp (and beware of adders!); the dense soil does not allow rain water to drain, and there are even lakes such as the Deelense Was formed by rain water.
Deelense Was 
Adder 
Hoenderloo area
When we move even more South, there is yet another remarkable change in landscape: an ‘ Atlantic Desert’: a large area of sand resembling a small desert (mind you, the Dutch climate is far from desert-like…!).
Moving further South towards the village Schaarsbergen, there is another hidden feature: an old German WW2 airfield that has been destroyed and removed. But the tarmac leftovers can still be found, as well as its hidden bunkers within the hills.
Old nazi airfield. Hills on the right are bunkers with aircraft control
Walking and driving towards the exit, you can find either a beautiful landscape or herd of deer, group of wild boar just before you exit. I feel relaxed and happy after a day at the Hoge Veluwe, and as a ‘protector of the park’ I have access all year around. It is strange that after all those years I still enjoy watching the same scenery, but this is why it is one of my three places of calm.
It is clear to me now that my desire for exploration, be it mountains or space, was born in those woods as a kid with a huge imagination. And that is a beautiful thing.
A stretching rabbit after a long rest 
Birds not impressed with warning sign 
Watching wild boars from the Spyder in Summer. Life is good 
Mouflons
The park has several motion-detection webcams installed and as part of a research programme you can help by identifying the animals capture on camera. Have a look at: https://www.hogeveluwe.nl/en/discover-the-park/nature-and-landscape/snapshot
Ciao!
Robin
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