Into nature near Bilthoven

Just above Bilthoven you can walk quietly through the woods at the foothills of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. This walk takes you through the Ridderoordse Bos, a varied nature reserve that lies at the transition between the dry Utrecht ridge and the lower wet peat meadow. While walking you will mainly see conifers such as Scots pine and spruce, but also deciduous trees such as the native oak and birch. There are grasslands and heathlands between the forest plots.

The Ridderoordse Bos is rich in woodpeckers and deer. Badgers are also occasionally sighted. They have their castles on the wooded ridge, but look for food in the open peat meadow area. The forest takes its name from Ridderoord, a fortification that probably stood here in the Middle Ages.

You also walk across the adjacent Vijverhof, an estate with many exotic trees. Because the estate is located in a wide depression of a moraine, it has traditionally been a wet area. On the edge of the estate you will pass Prins Hendriksoord, a white country house from the nineteenth century. The founder of Prins Hendriksoord was a banker, he purchased the plot in 1883. In 1926, this plot was split into three, one part was renamed Vijverhof.