6-10km | North Veluwe | WestphilWandelt

Hiking from Veluwe Hotel Stakenberg

18-12-2024

Hiking from Veluwe Hotel Stakenberg is a blog about two hikes across the beautiful Stakenberg Estate and the Elspeet Heath. You step right from the hotel into nature. Furthermore, it is about our pleasant stay, a nice presentation and the delicious food.

Are they gone for another weekend already?

Blogging and photography is pretty hard work, but a person has to have a hobby. Sometimes we get invited to go hiking somewhere and of course we don't say no to that. This time we got to spend a weekend at Landgoed Stakenberg and all we have to do is hike, blog, photograph and promote the hike on Instagram.

After meeting Ewout by the fireplace over tea and a Christmas wreath, we check out our hotel room. The hotel is beautifully situated and the rooms are simple, a tad old-fashioned, but spotlessly clean. There are plans to enlarge the rooms, replace the furniture in several areas of the hotel, make some improvements and modernize. We think the room is nice enough as it is.

Quickly we get our luggage out of the car and put on our hiking boots, because before you know it it will be dark in winter.

Walk on the Liesberg

Bungalow park Stakenberg

At the hotel reception you can get a scavenger hunt. One of 4 and one of 7 kilometers. Adriaan has drawn a walk in Komoot of the 7 kilometer trail. I think it's amazing that he can draw a route from an A4 sheet of text. During the walk we made a small adjustment, because the scavenger hunt goes a bit longer along the bike path and we prefer to walk on an unpaved path on the heath.

First, we walk through the wooded estate and pass the Stakenberg bungalow park. We love cottages and we can already see ourselves staying there for a weekend, but first we are enjoying this weekend. The cottages are all detached and some can also be booked through the hotel's site.

We pass a field with a shed probably where normally goats are, but not right now. They have either all been eaten by the bad wolf, or they are inside in a barn somewhere because of the inclement weather.

In the summer we will return

We arrive at the Stakenbergweg and walk along the road on the bicycle path for a bit, but soon we cross the road to walk on a footpath along the heath. We still walk along the road, but you don't notice much of that anymore. The view across the heath is beautiful, despite the fact that the sun won't shine and it's drizzling weather. Can you imagine how beautiful it is here when the heather is blooming and the sun is shining.

Of course we take a lot of pictures again, they get a little moody because of the weather, but it's no different. We did not know this part of the Veluwe at all and are pleasantly surprised by the beautiful nature and the many views. After 1.5 kilometers we walk into a path to the right. Now we can completely enjoy the tranquility of nature as we walk further and further away from the road.

A watchtower

We walk briskly for our sake, as it is quite cold today. Of course we still stand still way too much. We can't help it it's just way too beautiful here.

In the distance, we see a watchtower. It's a good thing I read beforehand that it is closed for safety reasons. Otherwise we would have had to make another detour and we want to be back at the hotel before dark.

There are plans to replace the tower, but it will be a few years before a new one is in place. Even then, we would love to come back.

The Liesberg

We do not meet many other hikers, Despite being able to see very far we see almost no one. This is probably due to the weather and because it is Friday. There are also no marked walks here and that always saves a lot of people. We do occasionally come across the red-and-yellow markings of the Veluwe Zwerfpad. That seems like a great long-distance hike, but Adriaan still can't be persuaded to do such a multi-day trek. To be honest, I don't know if I want to either.

We walk up a hill. There is a bench, a small group of trees and a sign saying, "De Liesberg." Mountain is a big word, but the heath here is a little bit rolling and a little bit hilly.

On the Liesberg.

Standing on top of Liesberg, we hear a sound of an animal. It looks like the belling of a deer, but the rut is long gone. Wherever we look there is nothing to be seen. I say to Adriaan, "It must be a cow." But honestly I don't believe that either, because there is no pasture or cow anywhere in sight.

More trails and a small pond

We walk on again, photographing one photogenic trail after another. We hope for leaping deer, or a pack of deer, but of course we see nothing again. The red coat is also far too conspicuous and I probably talk too much. No matter tomorrow is another day and another chance.

We walk along a pretty little pond, and since that is of course something different from a pretty path, a lonely tree, or a vast heathland, we take pictures again.

Sheep Drive

A lot of pictures further on we arrive at the Schapendrift. At a crossroads there is a covered bench and a bench overlooking the heath. Of course we take a seat on the last bench, because we never get enough of a view.

Megaplas and beyond I mirror.

The Komoot lady says, "Turn right here toward Sheep Drive." At least that's what I understand and look down immediately to see if we see any sheep droppings. Surely she needs to articulate better.

As we continue walking, we see a megaplade. That's always nice for a mirror photo. We turn left into a narrow path. It is already getting a little dark and in the distance we see a bungalow where the light is already cozy.

Before we know it, we are at the gate and are now walking past the bungalows from the opposite side as this morning. We search for squirrels, but see only a few little birds.

Soon we arrive at the hotel. It looks very cozy from outside with the Christmas lights on the terrace. I would like to spend a night there and we will.

Dinner

But of course not right away, because first we had to have dinner, make stories for socials and unpack our bags.

Around 6 p.m., we take our seats in the restaurant and make our choice from the menu. Many people are already eating. The people next to our little table are turning the salt and pepper grinder so much that we are afraid the food doesn't taste like anything. Fortunately, that is not the case. Beforehand, we order a break bread and it is served deliciously warm with allioli and curry humus.

We feast on it nicely and the main courses and desserts also taste delicious. It is very nice that in addition to the meat, attention has also been paid to the vegetables, all of which also taste delicious. Only the sprouts I give to Adriaan, because I really don't like them.

We are having the greatest fun, because the desserts are served on a somewhat rough plate and I can't stand the sound of such a scraping spoon over a rough plate. Of course Adriaan can't resist scraping a little extra and all the people around us join in.

A presentation by Ernst Dirksen

No photo of the presentation, but still some from the walk.

After dinner we retire to our room for a while. There is a presentation in one of the rooms tonight by a photographer who lives nearby and takes beautiful pictures of the wildlife in the area. Several of his photos hang in the hotel.

Of course we go there, because we do want to know where all that wildlife is. It is a very nice presentation and Adriaan is the best of the class. All the questions, which Ernst asks, Adriaan knows how to answer. I nudge him to shut up, because other people want to say something too. Yet he does not listen to me, because the questions are too easy and the others say nothing.

Ernst is a fun storyteller and with every picture he has a good story. The bottom line is that if you want to see wildlife you have to get off the trails or you won't see anything. Once you find a spot you have to put down food and wait while you hide yourself well. So that's why we never see anything, because we always walk bravely on the trails. So it's not because of the yellow, or red coat.

After the presentation, we talk for a while and get a tip about a field where we can spot wildlife.

Breakfast

The next day we wake up early. The bathroom is a little small, but the shower is nice and hot with good water pressure. We like that so much when you are somewhere that the shower is nicer than at home. Usually this is not the case then there is such a small jet coming out that it is almost impossible to wash my hair.

The weather is still not nice so we decide not to walk to the field, tipped by Ernst yesterday, before breakfast to spot wildlife. With this dark weather, there is probably nothing to see.

Therefore, we are the first in the restaurant for the breakfast buffet. There is plenty of choice and all equally delicious. We sit at the table where the salt and pepper mill was so violently turned yesterday. When I want to put a little salt on my roast beef and take off the lid, a large amount of salt comes out. We don't recover, would people not have realized that the lid was still on? Then you can indeed spin until you weigh an ounce.

After breakfast, we put on our hiking boots again. So nice and easy to be right out in nature when you step outside your door.

Walk on the Elspeet moors

A word about the weather

Today the weather is even gloomier than yesterday. It's even drizzling a little. We were actually supposed to spend a weekend at Veluwe Hotel Stakenberg a week earlier, but had canceled because of the rain. Can you imagine how long the sun hasn't been shining on weekends. Still, we set out again. It's like swimming once you get through it's not so bad. Fortunately the drizzle does not make us as wet as in a swimming pool, but it is not pleasant.

A game tip

We walk toward the bungalows again, but now turn right before the goat pen (without goats). We meet a man with a dog, who starts talking to us. Whether we have already spotted something beautiful. We often get questions like that, which is certainly because we walk with three cameras and binoculars. The man has a tip where we can see a lot of wildlife. After some back and forth and with the help of Googlemaps, it turns out to be the same field Ernst tipped us to yesterday.

Herd protection dogs

Again we walk through a gate to leave the estate. Yesterday we saw signs about the flock of sheep, which graze the moors here, and today too we encounter the signs. We are warned about the flock protection dogs, which protect the flock from wolves in this area. We have to keep 25 meters away from the flock, fortunately Adriaan has a telephoto lens.

We have not yet passed through the gate or we are greeted by an enthusiastic dog running loose. So I guess the wolves will be all right if the dogs aren't on a leash around here.

Goldilocks

As we continue walking we pass a fallen tree. From the high-pitched squeaking we can hear that there are goldcrests in it and after a while we see them sitting. Well, they don't sit. They hop from one branch to another. We can't take a picture, but it is always a pleasure to watch the cute little birds.

Not across the bike path

We walk along a very narrow path between the moors. Again today I am surprised how beautiful it is here and that we have not been here before. We cross a bicycle path and see a bench there. Like a headless chicken we walk to the bench for a westphilzitten photo and then lose our way. Fortunately, Adriaan pays attention, because we should not turn right onto the bicycle path at all, but just continue straight ahead on the narrow path across the heath.

Again today we don't encounter many hikers, but we do encounter several cyclists. Apparently there are no strict rules for mountain bikers here, because we just meet them on the hiking trails. Fortunately, it is an easy going affair and not once do we get run over. We have experienced that differently before.

About benches and the Posbank?

Except for the benches, which we encountered in the beginning, we don't encounter any benches now. I am already worrying again where we should sit later to have a drink and something to eat. Adriaan says, "We have only been on the road for 5 minutes and you are already starting to talk about food again." He's right, of course, but I like to think ahead.

I say, "It's a lot quieter here than on the Posbank" To which Adriaan says, "I guess it's not that busy on the Posbank with this weather either." Normally we would have turned over in our beds too, but today we have to because bad weather is also predicted for Sunday and Adriaan didn't sign a walk for nothing.

We are being filmed

Again today we take pictures of heather, trees, pretty trails and a small pond.

We walk past a tree with a crazy blue flat birdhouse hanging in it. A closer look reveals it to be a camera. So if you have a wildlife camera hanging somewhere on the moors near Elspeet and you have two people in very close view then it's us.

Further on we see sheep standing in a fenced field. We don't walk there, because according to Adriaan we will pass it on the way back.

Across the road

After more than 3.5 kilometers we cross the road to the other side of the heath. We have to be careful because there is no refuge, but crossing is easy. On the other side we walk off the road again. Here the heath is a little less sloping and it is busier with mountain bikers.

Last night Ernst told the photographer, how he tracks wildlife. That he looks carefully at the prints in the sand and that he feels a wolf's throat to see if it is still warm.

On the hiking trail, which in some parts is sand, we see paw prints that Adriaan thinks belong to a wolf. When I see a dog turd lying around, I say to Adriaan, "Just feel if it's still warm." We will probably never become good wildlife detectors, because Adriaan won't even feel for a moment.

On the other side we encounter moors again, but it does not bore us.

Elspeter forests

When we have walked over 6 kilometers we cross the road again to continue our walk through the forest. Work is being done in the forest. Non-native trees are being cut down and native trees are being planted in their place. The intention is to have more deciduous trees in the forest. As a result, it is a bit muddy and there are many puddles. Fortunately, we can walk around it.

A little tired

I didn't sleep very well last night. I always do when I first arrive somewhere, and it didn't help that Adriaan was snoring. Every time I woke up I got a very loud snore. He has a bad cold and that makes him snore.

Ewout asked us yesterday if we wake up every morning fresh and fruity because we don't drink alcohol. I say to Adriaan, "I'm not fresh and fruity at all, I'm heartily tired." To which Adriaan says, "I feel fruity too, like a rotten apple."

Where are the sheep?

We end up at the spot where we saw the sheep this morning, but of course they are gone now. Adriaan thinks they are not far, because the sheep droppings on the path are still warm. So he follows the trail of droppings and yes there they are grazing on the heath protected by three dogs. Adriaan takes a picture with the telephoto lens from more than 25 meters away. Not because we are obedient, but because we don't want to make a detour.

A familiar piece and the field without game

After the woods, we rejoin the moors and at the Schapendreef, where we were yesterday. This time we choose the covered bench to eat our lunch. We further know the way and walk back to the hotel.

Around 4 p.m. we walk to the field where we can spot wildlife and wait until it is almost dark, but we see nothing at all. Through dusk we walk back to the hotel where we once again enjoy the delicious dinner.

We decide to drive home the next day after breakfast and checking out. Actually, we would have liked to take a little walk at Staverden Castle, but we find the weather too bad anyway.

As we drive up the Stakenbergweg a roe deer crosses right in front of our car. Wildlife spotted after all.

Too bad about the drizzly weather, but luckily we still have the pictures.

Also a weekend away to hotel Stakenberg?

All information about the hotel can be found at this link

Photos of Ernst Dirksen can be viewed via this site

Keep an eye on our Instagram from December 22, 2024 to January 6, 2025 you can win a weekend away to Veluwe Hotel Stakenberg. The rules of the game can be found in this post

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Walk on the Liesberg:

Start: Hotel Stakenberg, Stakenberg 86, 8075 RH Elspeet

Province: Gelderland

Distance: 7 km

Link to the GPX file, or komoot

Signage: none, at the hotel reception they have a scavenger hunt with questions and a description of this route.

Walk on the Elspeet moors

Start: Hotel Stakenberg, Stakenberg 86, 8075 RH Elspeet

Province: Gelderland

Distance: 10 km

Link to the GPX file, or komoot

Signage: none

An alternative to the two above routes is the Trage Tocht Vierhouten Stakenberg of 15 kilometers. You can download the route description from the walk page, if you are a member (€ 13,49 per year).

Happening and Steps

You can also do a bite and step route from the hotel. There is a route developed of 19 kilometers to Vierhouten and back. For example, you can start with coffee / tea with pastries at Veluwe Hotel Stakenberg and walk to Pancake House The Forester in Vierhouten for a soup. Then you walk back to the hotel where you will be served a lunch dish (for the morning package) or a main course (for the afternoon package).

A route is also being developed where you walk to the Brasserie of Staverden. This route will be around 13 kilometers and will be bookable approximately from February 2025.

Through this site you can book the Happen en Stappen package from Veluwe Hotel Stakenberg to Vierhouten.