Warnsveld, Zutphen and Gorssel

In the municipality of Lochem lies a small town with fewer than 4,000 inhabitants: Gorssel. Experience the cosiness of a close-knit, small-scale community where the family grave of the founders of the publishing group Kluwer is located. When you head towards the floodplains of the IJssel from Gorssel, you will come to the stork village of 't Zand. To the southeast of Gorssel you will find the Gorsselse Heide, which served as a military shooting and training ground for decades. Since 2009, the new manager Stichting Marke Gorsselse Heide has conceived the plan to restore the Gorsselse Heide to its former glory. The wet heathland was in danger of drying out. In the past, there were extensive heathlands here that were used by farmers in the area for various purposes, but nowadays there are also forests to be seen. About a hundred years ago, there were mainly pine trees, but the coniferous forest is slowly developing into a mixed deciduous forest, where birch and oak also grow. Shrubs that are common here are the guelder rose and the rowan. Colonies of red wood ants work hard in the sand to please their queens and in addition to the drumming of the woodpeckers, various songbirds whistle the highest song, while the hawk and the buzzard are formidable hunters. Magnificent buildings can be viewed during this bike tour. An architectural masterpiece is Huis De Voorst, which is located just east of Zutphen. The house has a rectangular corps-de-logis. Curved galleries connect the central part with the outbuildings that flank the building. The house was built in the seventeenth century, and the ravages of time have severely affected the original design of the gardens: only a few lanes remain. In 1943 a fire broke out, which reduced a large part of the main building to ashes. In 1960 the castle was restored. The other beautiful building that lends itself perfectly to a photo is Huis't Velde. The first mention of the beautiful white country house dates from 1326, but the foundation of the current house was not built until the sixteenth century. Around 1597, the owners had the house renovated: the eastern wing and the octagonal tower at the front are the result. The house is currently used by the Police Academy and is therefore not open to the public.