A SHORT HIKE THROUGH THE FOREST
A HIKE AROUND THE GAASPERPLAS
9 May 2020
TREMITI ISLANDS, LITTLE ITALY
4 October 2020HIKE TYPE
SECTION HIKE
STARTING POINT
STATION HILVERSUM SPORTPARK
DISTANCE
7,9 KM
DURATION
2 - 3 HOURS
PATH
WESTERBORKPAD | 7Long Distance Hiking Path (LAW)
DESTINATION
STATION BAARN
ELEVATION GAIN
30 M
LEVEL [EASY]
The Westerborkpad is one of the many long distance hiking trails in the Netherlands . When you follow the Westerborkpad one thing is certain, the railroads are never far away and there is a good reason for that. This path is a tribute to the deportation of Jews from Amsterdam to camp Westerbork (in the east of the Netherlands). The short seventh stage of the hiking trail is located between the cities Hilversum and Baarn. During this stage you will walk through forest before you read a Jewish monument ( De Marinier ) close to Baarn station.
You start this stage at the Laapersveld, which is located directly next to the Hilversum sports park station. This small park with its ornamental pond immediately gives you the feeling of being outside, a very pleasant start to the hike. From here you walk through a suburb of Hilversum towards 'Anna's hoeve', a recreation area with sand and heathland next to the railway. From here you keep following the track for almost the entire route, but the area is quite varied.
After you have passed the A27, you are really entering nature for the first time. Here you are at the beginning of the Hooge Vuursche , a forest area managed by Staatsbosbeheer. This area has been used a lot for wood production in the past and you will notice that during the hike. Most of the paths are straight, wide and tightly laid out. But the environment is no less beautiful. The forests will only be improved in the future because the diversity of this area is now being stimulated considerably. The forest is quiet and different types of afforestation alternate. Every now and then you hear a train rushing past on the track in the distance, something that will never completely let you go during this hike. But that is precisely the purpose of the Westerborkpad.
"Every now and then you hear a train rushing past on the track in the distance, ..."
Towards the end of the walk on the Westerborkpad, the forest slowly changes into the city of Baarn. But on this side of the station you will find only one neighborhood, with luxurious houses that blend into the wooded environment. Most of the city is located on the other side of the railroad, so the station also lays against the edge of the forest, which makes it seem like it suddenly emerges from nowhere. Just before you reach the station and thus the end of the hike, you walk past the Jewish monument that shows forty-five names of Baarnse Jews who were deported and eventually murdered in extermination camps.
Do you want to hike this trail yourself? Check out the full hike below or at Komoot . Would you like to take another hike in the Netherlands? Take a look at the overview page .
