Tour Harderwijk - Beekhuizerzand

Harderwijk is located on the edge of the Netherlands' most beautiful nature reserve: the Veluwe. From the built-up area it is only a ten-minute bike ride to the Beekhuizerzand sand drift. A rare beautiful area in the North Veluwe, with nice height differences. This area is also widely used by runners and mountain bikers, but also by families who enjoy a nice picnic and beautiful views.
The Beekhuizerzand is a shifting sand area of approximately 200 hectares. In 2004 the area was reduced from a forest area to a real shifting sand area. Many fly pines have been felled for this purpose and the top layer of the soil has been removed, so that the dustable sand is released again.
Drifting sands are unique natural landscapes in Western Europe, most of which are located in the Netherlands. They have their own flora and fauna. Typical plants and animals for drifting sands are lichens and sand lizards. But also, for example, the rare dune pipit, nightjar and slightly more common skylark and crested lark are animals that you can observe on and around the drifting sand.