Over the old railway to Heerde

This walk takes you from Epe to the woods and heathland of the De Dellen estate, a nature reserve of the ever-infinite Veluwe. You also walk through the town of Heerde where, just like in Epe, you see some characteristic monumental farms.

On the De Dellen estate, forest and heath regularly alternate. Crow heath mainly grows here, but bush and cap heath also occur. In the lower parts of the estate there are fens where peat fluff, small sundew and peat rushes grow. The forest consists of a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees. You will see old oaks, but also pieces of forest consisting of Scots pine, larch or Douglas fir. The youngest trees are sessile oaks that were only planted in this century. This species has been reintroduced, it naturally belongs here.

De Dellen was once the land of landlords. Around 1800, former General Daendels of the Batavian Republic acquired De Dellen on a long lease. He transformed the heathland into farmland and raised sheep. Due to a lack of good manure, this farm never became a success. From 1851, Professor Buys Ballot (correctly: the meteorologist and founder of the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute) further developed De Dellen. He created new forests of oak, beech and Norway spruce. The estate has been owned by the Geldersch Landschap since 1929.

During your walk you can come face to face with wild boars, red deer, badgers and pine martens. As you walk among the deciduous trees, you may hear the nuthatch or the drumming of the black woodpecker. Sometimes the melodious song of the woodlark and tree pipit can be heard on the heath. Occasionally a buzzard meows as it soars gracefully through the sky.

On the estate you pass the sheepfold of a herd of Veluwe Heide sheep. This breed was almost extinct, but thanks to the Foundation for Rare Pet Breeds, this sheep has been bred back to what it must have looked like 100 years ago. As before, the grazing herd eats grass, saplings and heather bushes, so that the heath remains intact and healthy.