As I look outside, small snowflakes slowly form a beautiful white blanket over the landscape. I take a sip of my coffee, while the bungalow’s underfloor heating keeps me wonderfully warm. ‘Nice, because you’re not supposed to be cycling in the snow,’ I hear you thinking now. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our ‘vehicle fleet’ has been adapted to the conditions, and the white world outside screams for attention. The small pond that was created by the pond is too beautiful to miss. We have to cycle over it. Where are we? Landal Sallandse Heuvelrug, In the Twente countryside, just outside Wierden in the hamlet (I suppose I can call it that?) of Hoge Hexel. An ideal cycling destination, if you want to know why? Then read on quickly!
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Text: Sander Kolsloot, photos; Sander Kolsloot, Aniek Rooderkerken, Mark Heij
Through a white, crinkly landscape
Anyone who picks up the map of the Netherlands and searches for Hoge Hexel will soon see that it is almost perfectly located for exploring Twente and, in particular, the unpaved paths in the region. It’s not even that far from the German border, which increases the possibilities threefold. The attentive cyclist will also see the National Park Sallandse Heuvelrug. That’s nice. And if you really look closely, one of the MTB routes runs RIGHT through the park. If that’s not beautiful enough, I don’t know what is.
The white snow under my thick tires crunches and crumbles as I set off on Monday afternoon through the Sallandse Heuvelrug. One thing is certain: when the conditions are this beautiful (sun and snow), I have to get out there. The golf is great and the wind is blowing in my face. From Nijverdal this nature park is at your feet and I take a few nice stretches of unpaved road from the east. The ground is sometimes frozen, but often I still walk over beautiful fresh snow. The deeper I go into the park, the more beautiful the views become. Especially in spring and summer, when the purple heather is in bloom, you just want to be here. Slingering between the low bushes, over wide paths into the forest. Then again ploughing through the sand, then through the snow. This doesn’t let me go anywhere soon!
Falling and getting up
A small slope at the bottom of the hill, I have to admit I’m still struggling with that. It has become slippery from the freezing cold, but when I get home, I’m still smiling from ear to ear. This route of over 40 kilometers starts and ends at the park, with a start over the ‘cycling highway F35’. A great start to the week. The weather always plays a role in making beautiful trips. So here too, as on Tuesday the snow, the freezing cold, and the combination of the two throw a bit of a spanner in the works. Although, ‘spanner in the works’? We get a nice invitation from Bram Schots, from the local bike shop ‘Herman Beleef Fietsen’. The coffee is ready, when we’re in the neighborhood…?
When the snow has stopped a bit and it seems to be around 0 degrees for a while, we set off. Mark Heij, my travel companion for the day, and I get our bikes and head out.
‘Who is Herman?’
If you are on the park If you’re staying in Nijverdal, it’s actually the best place to start your routes. Especially at the Scott Experience Center of Herbert Korblet and Jeroen van der Heide. Herman Experience Cycling It is literally a stone’s throw from the Park Sallandse Heuvelrug, and when we enter, we are warmly welcomed. With the local dialect, we get the main question: ‘kop koffie mannen?’
We feel right at home here and from the shop we take a nice route northwards towards Hellendoorn. Before we actually get on the bike, I have to ask: ‘Who is Herman?’ – the person the shop is named after.
Herbert’s father, Herman, passed away relatively young, and as Herbert recounts, that is one of the reasons he started cycling. Herman hangs a beautiful photo prominently in the shop. A beautiful tribute. And it turns out there is something positive as well: in the area, it quickly becomes ‘let’s go and visit Herman’.
Governing is about foresight
If we follow the plan for our 12 provinces, 12 parks, 12 months Making a series, we cannot predict that January is going to surprise us with a thick blanket of snow. In fact, it is almost spring already with New Year's Eve, and there is also rain the following days, or even more rain. The district heads don't need to get together. The foremen, on the other hand, are working overtime. However, King Winter is still knocking on the door, and look! A beautiful blanket of snow. Now, that doesn't really matter for graveling, although cycling in the sun is preferred. As the day of check-in approaches, it suddenly starts tingling: it's going to snow! That will be beautiful pictures.
It's really beautiful here
‘Wow, what a beautiful place this is.’ I find myself saying this for the fourth time already. Is it right? Of course. With my traveling companions, I’m traveling along the local routes around the park. It must be the combination of sloping roads, beautiful views, and then again a nice unpaved path through the woods. Every route we take gives us a different insight. Where on Tuesday we head towards Hellendoorn and take part of the MTB route in that direction, on Wednesday we’re ‘heading south’. This time towards Rijssen, where we let the landscape pass us by. Some roads are very hard, frozen, and therefore a bit less passable. But the majority are lovely to drive on, but in these circumstances some caution is advised.
When you look at this side of the Heuvelrug, you see a different landscape from around Hellendoorn. It is also hilly, but here there are more fields. More roads where you can really plough through. The farmers here will confirm that. The windmill in Rijssen is a nice place for a photo, but then again quickly on. A little south of Rijssen we stop at a hotel. It is not recommended, right near the Koerbelt. The coffee can handle it, we’ll just say that. Companion Aniek, who is representing partner SheWielrent Even when we shake our heads disapprovingly when Maarten, the mastermind behind the Pedaleurs podcast and local hero, talks to us later. We almost get laughed at. If we wanted to go for a nice ‘coffee run’, he would have known some great places. But not ‘there, among the rimpelsauriers’. That’s on the list.
MTB routes – suitable for gravel!
What makes the Twente region extra beautiful is the extensive network of MTB routes. Literally running across the park is the Wierden MTB route. You can follow it all the way and in the meantime pick up a few beautiful, rural gravel tracks. Ruts where you can pedal to your heart’s content. You head up here towards villages like Vroomshoop and Vriezenveen. Villages that still have the typical features of the old days: a church, a pub, and in some even a Rabobank!
Enjoying it when you return
My travel companion Mark is working on his laptop to the left of me. My other travel companion Aniek is enjoying a cup of tea to the right of me. I’ll just sit down on the sofa for a while. This is actually quite manageable, enjoying a few days of Twente countryside from here in Hoge Hexel. Our 6-person accommodation is more than enough!
Accommodation
Op Landal Sallandse Heuvelrug You can find several different accommodations. We have a 6-person apartment, type 6B. A lovely space where you can spend a long weekend, midweek, or week with a group of friends or girlfriends. Our variant has 1 bathroom, and 3 bedrooms, and a nice space to eat and relax in in the evening. Especially in the summer, there is also a lovely space outside to watch the sun set. The park also has a number of handy facilities:
- A swimming pool (with a slide!)
- A bowling alley
- A restaurant, coffee shop and lunch spot in one. The menu is classic but decent.
- A pond where you can also swim (in the summer, of course)
- A number of play equipment for the kids
- Charging station for the electric car
- If you don't have a washing machine but still want to do a quick wash, you can drop off your belongings at the reception for a small fee and they will be returned clean!
There was enough space in the house to clean the bikes briefly, but there was no place to rinse them off. In the house itself, we were able to store the bikes safely. It is true that with 6 people and 6 bikes, you do get a bit cramped for space. It is advisable to book a 6-person luxury option. For more information about the park, the facilities, or to book, visit this link!
Conveniently located nearby
- The supermarket is in Wierden. There you have a choice of several options, for every budget.
- In Nijverdal you’ll find a few good bike shops, the aforementioned Herman Beleef Fietsen and also Bike Superior.
- You can have a delicious Italian lunch at Milano in Wierden
- Restaurant and Hotel Hoog Holten is an ideal place to stop after climbing the Holterberg.
- For dinner we mainly used the kitchen in our house, which was fully equipped with everything you need.
Cycling routes Landal 12 provinces – 12 parks
We have put all the routes in a collection that you can view and download via Komoot. Do you have any questions or tips? Let us know as soon as possible!
This is a top route of 65km:
Questions & tips
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