This year, my mum and I took part in the Nunspeetse Heideloop, a beautiful 10-kilometer walk through the heathland around Vierhouten, in the municipality of Nunspeet.

Before we set off, we had our little pre-walk ritual: a cup of tea for me and a coffee for Mum. Then it was time to start the walk!

The weather certainly kept us guessing. We went from dry weather to rain, back to dry, followed by another shower, and finally, when we were almost finished, the sun came out. A proper Dutch walking day!

The route itself had plenty of ups and downs — literally. There were hills to climb and descend, while the temperature seemed to go up and down along with them. But the beautiful heathland around Vierhouten made every part of the route worthwhile. And thankfully, this year there was one big improvement compared with last year: no missing signs! The route was clearly marked, making it much easier to simply enjoy the walk without wondering where we were supposed to go next.

We did walk a little further than the official 10 kilometres. By the end, we had covered 11.57 km and 17,592 steps. The extra distance was mainly because, naturally, we had our cameras with us. There were plenty of beautiful views and moments that simply had to be photographed. So we stopped along the way to capture some of them, adding a few extra steps in the process.

And then there was my water bottle…

When we set off, I hadn’t been paying enough attention and accidentally left my DutchLensExplorer water bottle standing on the ground. Luckily, it was still there waiting for me when we returned after the 10-kilometre route. And after carrying the thought of that bottle with me for the entire walk, I finally got my hands on it and drank the whole thing in one go! Before heading home, we enjoyed some well-deserved refreshments. I had brought energy bars with me, and together with some apple juice, they made the perfect post-walk snack.

Overall, the Nunspeetse Heidenloop was really well organised, and we had a fantastic time. The changing weather, rolling heathland, hills and all those photo opportunities made it a memorable day — and sharing it with my mum made it even better.

10 kilometres on the official route. 11.57 kilometres according to our feet. 17,592 steps. And a camera full of memories.

The photos tell the rest of the story. 📷Tekst