During my recent travel to the Netherlands, I had a day to spare before boarding the flight home. A simple search on Google for the places to visit listed several locations, and one of them was Hoge Veluwe National Park. It looked beautiful, and I felt it was a perfect place to spend a day!!
Drive to the park
It took me about an hour from Amsterdam to reach the Hoenderloo entrance of the park. Generally, I travel by public transport in the Netherlands. But due to train strikes during my visit, I rented a car. It was a smooth drive on the Dutch highways. Earlier, the speed limit on the motorways was 120/130km/hr. The limit now was 100km/hr!! It was to bring down pollution levels. While I was within speed limits, everyone else was overtaking me!! The only companion I had were the trucks.
I reached the park entrance at Hoenderloo and parked my car in the parking lot. A friendly lady at the ticket counter explained the activities in the park and handed out the tickets. Like many others, I had planned to take a bicycle and explore the park.
As I picked up the bike, I observed that it did not have a brake. I started riding it slowly like a confused person. I then realised that paddling reverse acted as a brake!! So simple!! How naive for me to think that there was no brake.
It was possible to drive a private car inside the park by paying a hefty fee. But people were encouraged to ride a bike or walk on the several trails built inside the park.
Bike riding – Trail 1
The map showed two main bike paths – trails 1 and 2. The first trail was 10 km long and covered the northern part of the park. Trail 2, passing through the southern part of the park, was 26 km long. I was not a long-distance bike rider, and trail 1 looked exciting!!
It was a pleasurable ride. The nicely built trail and flat ground helped me to ride at ease. The park was unique with forest cover, grasslands, dunes and wasteland. Few lakes and ponds also dotted the area. I stopped at several places to relish the beauty of the park.
Monuments
Let me give a quick snapshot of the history of this park. It was originally an estate owned by the couple Anton Kröller and Helene Kröller-Müller. Anton was a businessman, and his wife Helen was an art collector. Due to economic conditions, they later handed over their collection to the state of the Netherlands and the estate to a foundation.
In addition to natural beauty, the park also had a few prominent monuments. One of them was St. Hubertus Hunting Lodge, built by the couple. Today, it is a museum with a restaurant. I did not enter the museum but spent a long time gazing at the lake next to the monument.
Another prominent structure was Christiaan de Wet monument. I did not know much about the person, but the location was beautiful. It was a nice place to stop the bike and appreciate the spot.
By lunchtime, I reached the centrum and went for lunch at the restaurant. The museum in front of it attracted my attention. It was Museonder, a museum at the visitor centre. It gave a helpful representation of the geology and biology of the area.
At the centre of the park was the Kröller-Müller Museum, which contained the art collections of the couple. It had a separate entry ticket, and I did not enter. Instead, I roamed around the area.
Bike riding – Trail 2
After lunch, I started my ride on the second riding path. It was a long ride passing through the grasslands, forests, wasteland and dunes. I was sceptical about whether I could cover the entire route, but I completed it without much difficulty. The pleasant weather and the flat terrain helped a lot.
When I reached Hoenderloo gate, I was super happy with the experience. Though I did not see any animals, the scenery and the bike riding experiences were something I would remember for a long time.
Information and tips
- There are entrance fees to visit the park. Note about the extra charge to drive and park your car inside the park. Also, museum entry charges are separate.
- Entrance to the park: 11.3 €
- Paper map: 2 € (It was useful)
- Car parking: 4 €
- There are three entrances to the park – Otterlo, Hoenderloo and Schaarsbergen. Otterlo is popular with tourists, while others receive fewer visitors.
- Vegetarian options are available in the restaurant located at the centrum of the park.
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