Ode to Heiloo - Part 1

This route is 9.3 kilometers and is part of a larger route.
You can download the complete route here . And you can view the other part of the route here .

Introduction

Willibrordusweg and the Pulpit Rock
The Willibrordusweg is the ancient connecting road between the White Church (11th century) and the Pulpit (on the corner of Westerweg, Kuillaan). Willibrordus, a Christian saint, is said to have preached at this location and hedge sermons were also held in the 16th century. These are outdoor church services.

Estate Nijenburg
Landgoed Nijenburg is located on an old beach ridge, which was richly covered with forest during the Middle Ages. The beach plain towards the coast has been reclaimed by the mighty Abbey of Egmond. Shortly after 1700, the Nijenburg farmstead was built. The estate forests and surrounding meadows are now owned by Natuurmonumenten, which wants to preserve the whole in its former glory.

A fun fact: the owners of the Nijenburg estate commissioned sight lines to be created when the gardens were laid out. The main line of sight is the Westerlaan, more commonly known as the Ronde Olaan. On the longest day of the year, June 21, the sun disappears exactly in line with the avenue below the horizon.

Mystical cemeteries and Willibrordusput

The demarcated church grounds of the Witte Kerk, in which burials took place, are a specific characteristic of medieval church places. Within it reigned a higher power, where the dead could quietly wait for the Resurrection. Within the perimeter wall, burials took place over a period of 1200 years.
All headstones were oriented to the east, the direction from which the Resurrection was expected. A lot of symbolism is depicted on the richly carved stones. We see the caterpillar that rises to heaven as a butterfly (the soul), and also the broken column and the broken rose (a life cut short too young) and other symbols that refer to eternity and victory over death. In popular belief, the water of the Willibrordusput has a special power against illness attributed to it.

 
The General Cemetery on the Holleweg was built in 1916, because the cemetery at the White Church was almost full. The oldest part is located directly opposite the entrance and, as a stone archive, is so special to Heiloo that it was designated as a protected monument.

Estate Ter Coulster
Landgoed Ter Coulster is located in the middle of the village of Heiloo and is the only private historic estate in North Holland above the North Sea Canal. The farm in the middle of the forest, Ter Coulster Hof, stands on the foundations of the old castle. The tea house from 1891 can still be visited.

Cemetery
Very special is the'Oase of Rust\\\' cemetery on the site of the former Willibordus Foundation. More than six hundred people who were involved in the foundation are buried here: patients, brothers, doctors and rectors. A rector of the foundation once said that he knew of no other place where so much sadness, courage, despair and endurance were buried.
Via the Stationsweg, Westerweg and Hoogeweg the route runs towards Onze Lieve Vrouw Ter Nood. Along the way you will pass ancient wooded banks and hedges. The wooded bank served as a boundary and shelter; the vegetation was regularly pruned and the wood was used for heat and cooking.

Tip!
The brochure'Ode aan Heiloo\\\' is recommended if you want to know more about the history of Heiloo. This is also the basis of this walking route. Available at the VVV information point at Landgoed Willibrordus (De Olvendijk 2) or downloadable at www.natuurlijkheiloo.nl