From Uddel a visit to the Loo

A rolling heathland, where fens interrupt the landscape. Drifting sand areas and sandy paths. The Elspeetse Heide is a remnant of a gigantic heathland that stretched across this part of the Veluwe.

Heathland sheep are inextricably linked to this beautiful piece of nature, the animals have been grazing the Elspeetse Heide since time immemorial. Another special feature of this heathland is the fact that the exceptionally rare Rice Grain Moss can still be found on this piece of nature, which was long believed to be extinct. Rice Grain Moss can only be found in two other places in the Netherlands. The Elspeetse Heide is also important from an archaeological point of view - the presence of centuries-old burial mounds and old oak coppices give the area special value.

Apeldoorn is the largest city on the Veluwe. The city has developed mainly in the past century and has never had city rights. Together with Deventer and Zutphen, Apeldoorn is part of the Stedendriehoek. The city has a beautiful green character due to the many city parks that have been constructed there. If you look around you, you will notice that, compared to other cities, there are relatively few high-rise buildings. The Apeldoorn house structure, with many monumental and detached houses, is also characteristic of the city where the tax authorities and the Land Registry established their head offices in the 1960s, thereby putting Apeldoorn on the map.

On the edge of Apeldoorn lies Paleis het Loo National Museum. This former royal residence is situated on a garden that is designed in a Dutch-classical style. French influences can be recognized in the form of a division with boxwood hedges. The balcony of the palace, which is accessible on Wednesdays, offers a phenomenal view of the estate. In the palace you get a good impression of how the Oranges who lived in this palace lived. For example, you can see different types of carriages in the stables. There are also regular temporary exhibitions in the palace.

The second attraction you will encounter during your bike ride is the Wenumse Molen. The mill grinds on the Wenumse Beek and the history of a mill at this location goes back to 1313. The mill pond was constructed in the second half of the eighteenth century and the mill was converted into a copper mill during that period. In 1858 it was converted into a corn mill and a barrel mill was added, which was converted into a cheese factory. However, the current mill building dates from 1917. In 2014, the Wenumse water mill only grinds grain for cattle feed on a voluntary basis. You can visit the mill on the first Saturday of the month.