Cycling Through the Wild Heart of the Netherlands' Veluwe

The untamed, magical landscape takes in a vast national park, palatial houses and a sculpture garden and museum stuffed with Van Goghs – all easily accessible by bike. One minute I’m cycling through an expansive dusty pink stretch of heathland with sloping sand dunes in the distant horizon, the next I’m winding through a fragrant Scots pine forest as sunlight filters through the branches of red-barked trees to make a kaleidoscope of white shapes on the trail floor ahead.

I’m in Hoge Veluwe National Park, a 5,400 hectare (13,000 acre) nature reserve in Gelderland, about an hour and a half from Amsterdam. It’s crisscrossed by 25 miles (40km) of cycling paths, and around 2,000 free-to-use white bikes are available for visitors to explore the ever-changing scenery.

I’ve been flitting back and forth to the Netherlands for years and have lost count of the times friends there have raved about the park and the wider Veluwe region, a forest-rich ridge of hills and diverse landscapes, stretching 37 miles, north to south. Finally I’ve come to see for myself and explore on foot and on two wheels over a few days – adding in a dash of culture at some of its historic towns and museums too.

My trip starts at Natuurcentrum De Ginkel, a charming nature and visitor centre near Ede outside Arnhem. Here I meet nature guide Hanna Pol who takes me into the forest. “Veluwe is very biodiverse,” says Pol quietly as we walk past verdant oak, pine and birch. Trees with autumnal tawny-coloured leaves line one side of the path and wildflowers, with pops of bright yellow sunflowers and vivid red poppies, the other. Pol reels off some of the wildlife here: roe deer, five types of woodpecker, beavers, wild boar and wolves. As we crunch through a carpet of fallen leaves, we spy a small brown frog on a log, a woodpecker dancing around a tree, and the outline of two rust-red deers in the distance.

We make our way to the wildlife observation area, an enclosed building with curved windows and a theatre-style set of wooden chairs. “The deer pass this way every night to eat,” says Pol. “Once we saw a really big fight break out.” She’s seen wolves too – they returned to the country in 2015 after about 150 years and it’s a controversial topic, with farmers worried about their livestock. We don’t see the elusive creatures, just a solitary bright white buzzard perching on a tree. On the shelves behind us, an assortment of skeletal remains includes antlers, skulls, the teeth of a wild boar and the foot of a deer.

That night I stay in a stylish and sleek cabin with floor-to-ceiling views of the forest at Buitenplaats Petersburg on the edge of the park. It’s a peaceful haven of lodges with fairy lights strung around the woods and an enchanting Italian restaurant, Il Lupo, with an outdoor terrace.

Besides its unspoilt natural wonders, Veluwe has plenty of other attractions. I visit Paleis Het Loo, a 17th-century royal palace in Apeldoorn, once the summer residence and hunting lodge of William of Orange III and his wife Princess Mary II Stuart. It’s an impressive building with ornate rooms, a staircase with the second biggest mural in the Netherlands, formal symmetrical gardens and an underground museum which tells the story of the Dutch royal family.

Hotel de Echoput, a family-run modern hotel nearby, surrounded by the forest, is my home for the night. Its Grand Bistro Echo is a treat, with a menu that focuses on local ingredients – I enjoy fried mushrooms with a creamy Dordogne sauce and a vegan cheesecake with basil and white chocolate.

The next morning, after a brisk walk in the woods with barely a soul around, I visit the historic Hanseactic city of Harderwijk, on the shores of Wolderwijd lake. I wander the narrow cobblestone streets, medieval city walls and Old Town Hall with guide Marianne van Limbeek. “Harderwijk means hiding place for shepherds,” she tells us. We bump into Hendrik Kaper, a local street organist wearing a flat cap who treats us to a rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody on his portable wooden organ.

“Discover the magical Veluwe region, where vast heathlands, pine forests, and Van Gogh treasures await cyclists seeking an autumnal escape.”