National Park de Sallandse Heuvelrug
The Sallandse Heuvelrug represents much of the beauty that the province of Overijssel has to offer. This lateral moraine arose more than 150,000 years ago, penultimate ice age when a thick layer of ice was laid over the sandy and gravel deposits of rivers. Nowadays the endless heathland is extremely quiet. No cars, no planes... just the peace and quiet of nature. The panoramic views across the heathland would be great as a holiday photograph, whilst the deciduous trees and conifers ensure a unique ambiance. The active holidaymaker will find plenty to do here, from discovering the hiking and biking trails to the more challenging jogging and mountain bike race tracks.
Must-visit: Holten Canadian war cemetery
On top of the Holterberg an official piece of Canadian soil can be found. It forms one of the largest military cemetreies in the Netherlands, housing the graves of 1394 Canadian soldier who died on Dutch soil by the end of World Warr II. There is a story behind each of the graves, which can be discovered at this impressive location, by means of personal anecdotes and photos. And, while you are here, follow the Pieterpad, a beautiful hiking trail running across the highest point of the Holterberg.
Must-see: Observatory Hellendoorn
Such a dark and quiet piece in the Netherlands is excellent for watching the stars. It is for a reasons that Observatory Hellendoorn was established here. This observatory has a dome with telescopes, a sun-observatory, an observation platform, and a radio telescope. On every Thursday afternoon during the summer holidays an array of films about astronomy is shown in the planetarium, sufficiently fascinating for the young and old. Also there are a lot of other projections in this planetarium, the “Theatre of the Cosmos”. This way, the 'star guides' take visitors on a spectacular voyage through the universe.
Must-do: Gnomes' path
Get a knapsack full of delicious stuff at the visitor's centre Sallandse Heuvelrug, have your children's cheeks painted red and put on a pointy hat: the gnomes' trail guarantees a nice and adventurous afternoon. Fully dressed in gnomes' clothing, you can walk a route with a length of between 500 and 1,500 metres. Underway a thrilling story will be told from the gnomes' book and all kinds of gnome missions can be carried out. With a bead necklace as a clue, you will try to find the right colour of the of the next route post. How many gnomes are you meeting while you are out there?
Discover by bike
Discover things by bike in the north part of the Sallandse Heuvelrug, an 18km long ATB race-track (ATB = All Terrain Bike) was set up on the Hellendoornseberg (Mount Hellendoorn). This route, suitable for fairly well-trained ATB riders is marked by means of black signposting. Since the blue and black routes match up, the experienced ATB-rider can combine the two routes into a 50km route. Factoid: Former professional cyclist Theo the Rooij left his tracks here in this beautiful area.
