De Hoge Veluwe (Winterswijk Section)

The Hoge Veluwe National Park has no section at Winterswijk. The Hoge Veluwe is in the middle of Gelderland, near Otterlo and Hoenderloo, many kilometres to the west of Winterswijk, which lies in the far east of the province on the German border. The two are different landscapes and different visits, and a traveller should not expect to find one in the other. Here is what each offers, so that you can plan properly.

The Hoge Veluwe is the largest continuous nature reserve in the country, with forest, heath and drifting sand, the Kröller Müller Museum with its works by Van Gogh, free white bicycles and wild deer and mouflon. It has fixed entrances and entry tickets, and its opening hours, which run for much of the day from Tuesday to Sunday in the museum, are listed on its own website. It is a destination for a full day, and it can be reached by car from the Winterswijk area in about an hour and a half.

Winterswijk has different attractions of its own. It is a town and municipality in the Achterhoek, with an unusually varied landscape of small fields, hedgerows, woods and wet meadows, known as a coulisse landscape because the hedges and tree lines create a stage-like series of screens. The most remarkable feature is the Winterswijk quarry, a working and nature-protected limestone quarry where the layers of the Triassic period, about 240 million years ago, have yielded fossils of marine reptiles, fish and other creatures, and it is one of the most important fossil sites in northwestern Europe. Nature reserves such as the Korenburgerveen, a raised bog, offer walks and birdwatching.

In the town, the Markt and the Stadhuis form the centre, with the Sint-Stephanuskerk nearby, and Museum Het Hoogeland shows local history and geology. Burgers' Zoo in Arnhem is a longer excursion. The region is excellent for cycling and walking, with signposted routes that cross the border into Germany, and its small villages have cafes and farm shops.

Visitors will be best served by treating Winterswijk as a quiet countryside destination, and the Hoge Veluwe as a separate day trip. The Achterhoek suits cyclists, walkers, geology fans and families, and a stay in Winterswijk can include a visit to the quarry, the Markt and the nature reserves. Check each place's opening arrangements before you go.