Soestdijk, forests and heathland around Hilversum

Through the forests of De Vuursche you will pass Kasteel de Hooge Vuursche - formerly a country house, now a wedding and meeting location. After this you will cycle over the Zuiderheide and the Westerheide. These areas are located between Hilversum and Laren. During the Second World War, a tank ditch was dug on the Zuiderheide to protect the headquarters of the commander of the Wehrmacht in Hilversum. After the war, this tank ditch was filled in and became overgrown. Apart from a few information boards, this defence line is no longer visible in the landscape.
The Westerheide borders the Zuiderheide and was formed during the ice age. Prehistoric burial mounds stretch across both heathlands. You also cycle a bit over the Gebed zonder End (the Nieuwe Crailoseweg, an unpaved road that separates the Westerheide from the Bussumerheide). Annual commemoration services are held on this site and there is a monument in honour of the resistance fighters who were executed here during the Second World War. The cycle route continues via the Spanderswoud in the direction of Hilversum.