The Veluwe is a stunning national park in the Netherlands and a great spot for nature lovers and photographers alike. Recently, I had the opportunity to join a photography walk over Renkums Beekdal with some other enthousiasts, organized via Discord.

Eurasian blue tit
Eurasian blue tit

Before we even set out on our walk, we spotted a blue tit just chilling in the tree next to us. Never been on a photography walk and the amount of shutters I heard surprised me. It might not be a special bird, but doesn't take away that it's fun to shoot

As we set out on our actual walk, the early morning light cast a golden glow over the "weide".

Trees in the beautiful light.
Trees in the beautiful light.

Our tour guide, a local in Renkum, told us about the history, the glacier that flatted the land and make the hills we're walking on. All very interesting stuff (and not something I usually think about).

Whilst walking we also ran into some "kabouterhuisjes", which would roughly translate to gnome huts in English.

The Gnome Path is a way to let young children experience nature in a playful way. At the Renkums Beekdal information centre, you can get a knapsack filled with goodies for 5 euro. Kids can then walk a route of approximately 800 meters with a pointed hat and their cheeks painted red.  

Along the way, they listen to a story from the gnome book and do gnome assignments.

A little mushroom hidden in the tree.
A little ”kabouterhuisje” build inside the roots of a tree.
A little mushroom hidden in the tree.

After a bit we left the woods to walk over flatter pieces of land, near burial mounds from the Neolithic and/or Bronze Age. The area was calm and silent and it makes you wonder about the past.

There is a singular bench that looks out over the area. Imagine sitting there, sitting a cup of tea and just thinking about the now, the past and what is yet to come

A most serene thinking spot.
A most serene thinking spot.

We kept walking and ended up at a camping with a little shop ("Bassie bij de beelden") that sells food and drinks, so we sat down and took a few minutes to eat and talk.

We had been walking for over two hours at this point. I know, you would expect more pictures, but I was also listening to the things being explained, so at some points I just forgot to take pictures.

After a well deserved break we continued walking, ending up at Doorwerthsche Heide, also known as Wolfheze. It is a very nice place to walk, it just a shame that people let their dogs do their business here, killing the heide.

A western jackdaw.
A western jackdaw.

Once passed the heide, we started on the long trek back to our starting point. At this point, I have very little to add, so enjoy some more pictures

Moss covered forest floor.
A little river going through the forest.
Moss covered forest floor.

Birds of the Veluwe: Some Interesting Facts

Almost 100 breeding bird species occur in De Hoge Veluwe, including rare species such as the Eurasian Wryneck and Eurasian Nightjar.

  • Typical species for the forests in the area are Black Woodpecker, Common Raven, European Honey-buzzard, Crested Tit, Common Redstart, Pied Flycatcher and Hawfinch.
  • Typical species for the heathlands and forest edges are European Stonechat, Eurasian Skylark, Wood Lark, Yellowhammer, Meadow Pipit and Tree Pipit.  
  • At the fens you can regularly see the Eurasian Hobby. In late summer you can also find Short-toed Snake Eagle in the area.

In addition to birds, there are also wild boars, red deer, roe deer, badgers, foxes, wolves and pine martens and 6 species of reptiles.

European robin
European robin

I hope you've enjoyed this blog post about my photography walk in the Veluwe!

Have you ever been on a birding or photography tour, or is it something you'd like to try in the future? Let me know in the comments.