Veluwe forests from Het Loo Palace

If you are looking for the peace and quiet of nature, this part of the Veluwe forests is the right place for you. Extensive forests and the beautiful heathland of Hoog Buurlo are characteristic of the Ugchelen forestry. You see traces of game everywhere; deer and red deer, but also badgers, foxes, hares and other smaller animals leave their mark when they forage in search of food. If you pass through the area early in the day or around dusk, you will witness the special life of these animals. The spotted woodpecker drums enthusiastically on the centuries-old trees, a buzzard drops from the sky to devour its prey or you suddenly come face to face with a wild boar. An unexpected desert-like sandy plain of about 700 hectares, heathlands with plants that grow to full maturity under harsh conditions and meadows where the horizon seems to be miles away. In addition, the beautiful dense forests that you are used to in the Veluwe also grow on the rolling hills. As usual in the desert area, there are considerable natural differences here; on a beautiful summer day it can reach fifty degrees on the southern slopes of the plain, while at night the thermometer remains only about ten degrees. The rough maidenhair moss, which is green in autumn and winter but turns red in spring, is frequently present. You will also find plants that are unique and grow nowhere else, such as heath spurry and sand sedge. From the parking lot you leave for Paleis Het Loo, located on the edge of Apeldoorn. The palace is owned by the State and is in the top 100 Dutch UNESCO monuments. William of Orange's great-grandson, Stadtholder William III, bought the castle in 1684 as a new hunting lodge. Jacobus Roman designed the square main building in a classicist style with a side wing on both sides and the palace was expanded with four pavilions after William III became king of England. To the left and right of the main building are two pavilions that are connected to service wings around the forecourt. Parts of the museum collection can also be seen where the kitchens used to be. The Museum of the Chancellery of the Dutch Orders is located on the top floor of the building. The museum staff is located in the former Orangery. The west wing of the building is used for temporary exhibitions. Due to the natural water supply from the hills, the grounds of Paleis Het Loo are ideal for landscaping and water works, for example. The Baroque gardens and the palace park are definitely worth a visit. After a thorough restoration, the Palace has been open to the public since 1884. A completely different building, without royal allure but with an authentic atmosphere, is the Hoog-Buurlo sheepfold. This small settlement in the middle of oak and beech forests not only has a sheepfold, but also two houses surrounded by stately beech avenues and fields with wild banks. A flock of Veluwe heath sheep reside here at night, which graze the heath during the day. The sheepfold was renovated in 2008. After you have left the sheepfold behind you, you continue cycling through the forests of the Veluwe. During the next part of your tour you can view three more beautiful watermills. The first is a municipal monument: the Ruitersmolen in Oosterhuizen. The predecessor of this water mill was founded in 1606 along the Beekbergse Beek. At the time, there were paper mills on this, but also on the other bank along the river, which together were called"De Ruitersmolens\\\". One mill burned down, the other came to a standstill and fell into disrepair. A major renovation was completed in 1985 and today the mill is regularly open for viewing. On the first floor it is demonstrated how paper making works and on the ground floor grain is milled on a voluntary basis with two pairs of milling stones. Six kilometers further you will find the Hamermolen. This mill was founded around 1645 and used to use the power of water to grind old clothes into pulp so that they could be made into paper. That paper was used to promote intellectual ability. The same is still being pursued at the Hamermolen, where the water continues to symbolize exploring new paths full of inspiration, innovation and creativity. The mill has been completely restored. Finally you come to the Bouwhofmolen. It is unknown exactly when this mill was built. We do know that De Bouwhof, which previously also housed a laundry, also milled paper. Because the Bouwhof is the most intact watermill in the municipality, it was restored. The stream was excavated again so that the drive worked again and both the mill head and the water wheel were restored. The mill is now used as a home.