Ede: Heathland Trails, Wildlife Watching and Museums

At Wekeromse Zand, a 500-hectare sandy area meets traces of Iron Age settlement. Free-roaming mouflons help maintain the area. If you want to combine nature and culture in Ede, you’ll find marked trails, a freely accessible wildlife-watching hide and reconstructed reminders of the past here.

Getting there and finding your way

Ede is in Gelderland, in the central Netherlands, and is easily accessible by car via the A12 or A30. Bus route 106 runs between Ede and the centre of Het Nationale Park De Hoge Veluwe. Along the way, it stops at the Otterlo entrance and the Kröller-Müller Museum. As schedules may change, check the connection before you travel.

Walking trails and landscapes

Wekeromse Zand has several marked walking trails. On the approximately 2.5-kilometre Celtic Fields Route, you’ll pass a field with Germanic agricultural plots and a well. Postholes there provide evidence of Iron Age farmsteads; based on their layout, a farmstead and a spieker, a storage shed, have been reconstructed. A viewing platform beside the farmstead offers a view of the surrounding area. Educational forest rangers regularly lead guided walks; check the dates before your visit. With a little patience and luck, you can spot deer, foxes or badgers from the freely accessible wildlife-watching hide.

For a different distance, try the eight-kilometre walking route through Planken Wambuis. It passes through heathland, drifting sand, grassland, farmland and forest. A wildlife-watching hide and several viewpoints offer views of grazing animals and wildlife. You can also explore Planken Wambuis by huifkar, a horse-drawn wagon. If you’re planning a ride, check availability in advance.

The Meulunterenpad runs along sandy paths, past meadows and streams, and across old farmland in the area around Lunteren. You can join the route at Lunteren railway station or at the junction of Vijfsprongweg and Hoge Valksedijk in De Valk, near the Iron Age farmstead. At Broeksteeg, the trail follows an old church path, one of many in Lunteren. There are also five marked walking trails in the Luntersche Buurtbosch and around the Goudsberg. This lets you compare distances and routes rather than planning around just one walking option.

Heathland, wildlife and history

De Ginkel consists of forest, ponds and the extensive heathlands of Eder Heide and Ginkelse Heide. The Edese Schaapskudde keeps the heathland open through grazing and prevents trees and shrubs from overgrowing the landscape. The Schaapskooi Ginkelse Heide is a Rijksmonument and serves as a shelter for the flock of Veluwse Heideschapen. Wildlife watching at the Wildkansel De Hindekamp is only possible when accompanied by a guide from Natuurcentrum De Ginkel; check the access rules before your visit.

History is also present in the landscape: the Airborne-monument on Ginkelse Heide commemorates the British paratroopers’ airborne landings on 17 and 18 September 1944. A walking route across Ginkelse Heide also follows the story of Operation Market Garden. Before setting out, check whether the route is available.

Museums and regional culture

The Museum Lunteren explores the history of Lunteren in its permanent exhibition. The collection includes numerous photographs and postcards of the town, as well as other objects displayed in changing exhibitions. The Kijk en Luistermuseum focuses on mechanical music, with a collection of 19th-century musical automata. During guided tours, a guide demonstrates several instruments. Among the special exhibits is the working Amabile harmonium; only three examples still work worldwide.

Museum Deelen presents a collection on the history of nearby Deelen airfield and gives considerable attention to the air war from 1940 to 1945. Exhibitions may change. The Belgenmonument Ede offers a different historical focus: it stands on the remains of the foundation of Vluchtoord Ede, a refugee camp from the First World War. Together with the walking trails and landscapes, these places offer a range of ways to spend your time in Ede.

Discover more destinations: Bennekom, Wekerom, Ederveen, Harskamp, Lunteren, Otterlo, Ede, Tiel

Return to the regional travel overview: Gelderland.