Otterlo, Hoenderloo, Veluwe

Today we go in search of wildlife on the Veluwe. We cycle through quite a few nature reserves where wildlife should be found. The first area is the Deelerwoud, where you'll find everything that makes the Veluwe so beautiful: large expanses of forest, heathland and all that in a rolling landscape. This Deelerwoud is much quieter than the Hoge Veluwe or Veluwezoom, for example. Because of this quietness, you might just spot a beautiful (wild) animal, such as a fallow deer, red deer, fox, wild boar or a Scottish Highlander. Other areas along the route with a chance of spotting wildlife are Hoog Buurlose Heide, Hoge Veluwe National Park and Otterlose Zand.

To actually spot the animals, it is best to venture out early in the morning or just towards evening. Be quiet, keep your distance and preferably wear clothes in muted camouflage colours: brown or green. Be patient, give the animals time to adjust to your presence and do not disturb their natural behaviour. Some wild animals show themselves faster when you remain dead still, others feel less threatened if you just move at a leisurely pace.

Wild boars are curious but can become aggressive if they feel threatened. They are an important factor in the appearance of the Deeler forest. Because the animals want to relieve the itching they get from the many ticks and deer lice, they roll through their own dug puddles. Those puddles then attract toads, frogs and dragonflies. The pigs plough the landscape in search of food. They eat from the billions of beechnuts and acorns that can be found. After a good mast year, the boars have a well-fed layer of fat to survive the winter with. In winter, they then eat the roots of eagle ferns. Since boars are omnivores and need protein, they root further through the ground in search of earthworms, snails and other small animals.

Fallow and red deer are shy and sensitive to noise and movement. Standing still offers the best chance of spotting one. They have keen hearing and sight, so avoid noises and conspicuous clothing. The fauna managers in these nature reserves have decided that no animals should be shot. This started as an experiment and proved to be a success. The animals gradually became less shy and the population increased. Whereas there used to be about 30 fallow deer in the area, today there are almost 300. The animals are somewhat darker than the bambis we know from television. Their dark colour makes them easy to overlook. They only stand out when they start moving; sometimes there are more of them at close range than you would initially think.

Foxes are very shy and alert. Stay quiet and use binoculars to watch them from a distance. Foxes have an excellent sense of hearing and smell. On the Veluwe, foxes are common, but they rarely show themselves due to their shy nature. They live in burrows they dig in sandy areas or under tree roots. Foxes are omnivores and their diet consists of small mammals, birds, insects, fruits and waste. Because of their shyness and excellent senses, it is often easier to deduce their presence from tracks such as paw prints, droppings and chewing marks on trees and branches.

The Walweg, in the Deeler forest, is one of the best places to spot wildlife. Here you can often find tracks and other signs of animals.

The route passes Het Nationale Park de Hoge Veluwe. You cycle past entrance Hoenderlo. The roads around the park are certainly interesting enough. Do you still want to enter the park and combine your route with a visit to one of the park's museums? Then buy an entrance ticket; the park is privately owned by an independent foundation that hardly uses government subsidies. You can combine a visit to this park (at no extra cost) with a visit to the Museonder or Jachthuis Sint Hubertus.


This Premium cycle route has been compiled by our editor: Désirée van Uffelen