Discover Ijzerlo: Art and Rural Routes

When planning a trip to Ijzerlo, you can focus on two distinct themes: the characteristic Achterhoek bocage landscape and the art and cultural sites associated with Ijzerlo and Aalten. When looking for a hotel, it helps to decide first whether walking and cycling or museums, art and the Farm & Country Fair will be your main focus. This will help you choose a stay that suits the activities that interest you.

Rural routes on foot and by bike

The landscape of Ijzerlo is shaped by the characteristic Achterhoek bocage landscape: fields, meadows, hedgerows and scattered farmhouses define its rural character. Quiet roads make the area a lovely place for walks and bike rides. In the countryside around Ijzerlo, walking and cycling routes pass old farmhouses and rural roads.

One option with a specified distance is the Akkerranden fietstocht IJzerlo: this cycling route is 24 kilometres long and starts and finishes at ’t Dorpshuus IJzerlo at Thijsweg 19 in Aalten. The starting point of the SP34 IJzerlo walking route is marked by a red information board at Thijsweg 19. Walks include routes along the German border and over sandy paths. The options therefore differ both in how you get around and in the landscape: the cycling route has a stated distance, while the border and sandy paths shape the character of the walking routes.

Art and museums near Ijzerlo and Aalten

The Internationaal Theepottenmuseum is located in the countryside around Aalten, near the village of Ijzerlo. One striking feature of the exhibition is a wall up to six metres high covered in white teapots. The teapots depict a range of motifs: buildings such as Big Ben, famous people such as Clinton, household objects such as stoves, and animals. The mix of architecture, portraits, everyday objects and animal forms gives the collection a wide thematic range.

The Follybos has several creative follies designed to surprise visitors; the site is considered an art village. It is also home to a five-metre-high square tower built entirely from paving slabs. From its top, you can look out across the entire Farm & Country Fair site. The tower’s height, unusual construction and view make it a particularly striking feature of the Follybos.

Another art attraction in Aalten is the Silo Art Tour. Its location is on the ’t Westendorp farm at Westendorpweg 2. Alongside the imaginative structures in the Follybos, the tour’s specific location and the distinctive teapot collection offer different cultural themes to consider when planning your trip.

The Farm & Country Fair throughout the year

The Farm & Country Fair takes place every year in late June, on the weekend after Father’s Day, in Ijzerlo near Aalten. Its themed areas include a wool square, a vintage square and several animal villages. There are also a variety of stalls and shows, as well as floral displays. The event brings together different areas across the grounds and adds an annual date to the art and landscape attractions described above. If you would like to plan your stay around the fair, check the specific dates for that year before travelling.

You can plan your trip around a range of interests: rural routes and the 24-kilometre cycling tour, unusual museum exhibits and art sites, or the annual fair. Find a hotel to suit the themes you would like to focus on during your trip to Ijzerlo.

Discover more destinations: Dinxperlo, Aalten, Bredevoort

Go to the main travel overview: Aalten.