Tour of Radio Kootwijk and Het Leesten

You cycle straight through the forests of the Veluwe to the Kootwijkerzand: a desert-like sand plain of about 700 hectares where plants grow to full maturity under harsh conditions. Transmitting station Radio Kootwijk was built in the 1820s to maintain contact with the then Dutch East Indies. Further on, stop again at Forest Pavilion 't Leesten to learn more about the nature reserve Het Leesten. The iron pits in Het Leesten were created in the Middle Ages by the extraction of coconut stones: a ball of clay with a layer of iron ore around it. You cycle back via the pleasant village of Otterlo. You can also cycle straight through the Hoge Veluwe National Park between Hoenderloo and Otterlo, past Jachtslot Sint Hubertus!