Currents September 2019 Sept 2019_Currents web | Page 10

10
Currents
September 2019
Globetrotter
By: Max Edwards
Holland’s Ice Age Park
Visitors to The Netherlands (“Holland”) anticipate
flat, unremarkable terrain, ever
threatened by encroaching seas.
This assumption fades with a visit
to De Hoge Veluwe National
Park.
Here, in Gelderland
province, are 55 square kilome-
ters (13,590 acres) of sand
dunes, African-like veldt (grass-
lands), deserts, lakes, moors, and
forests
(Netherlands’
only),
replete with a world-class
museum, a hunting lodge, wildlife
reserve, and 500 plant species.
Ingress to the park by car is
possible, but the 1,800 free “white
bikes” are the preferred transport.
The no-gears bikes for adults,
children, and the disabled are at
the park’s entrances: Otterlo,
Hoenderloo, and Schaarsbergen.
Gear bikes can be rented.
Cyclists can opt for a 10 km
(6.2miles) perimeter cycling path,
a 26 km path (16.1 miles), or a
1.5-mile ride to the museum from
the Otterlo entrance (recom-
mended).
The 26 km path
requires about 2 ½ hours.
De Hoge Veluwe (roughly,
“Dee Hoak Vel’ oov”) hosts
500,000 visitors yearly. Devel-
oped in 1909 to 1923 by Anton
and Helene KröIler-Müller, it is
one of only two privately-owned
parks in The Netherlands. Here,
one can also ride a horse, camp
(with shower facilities), or fish.
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