Wide sandy paths in the Ermelosche Heide, marked hiking trails and routes through country estates make Ermelo a destination with a variety of ways to enjoy the outdoors. You can also cycle and ride horses in woodland and heathland areas, visit an archaeological and natural history museum, and explore offerings at a wine estate. For planning, it is worth looking at the specific differences: trail lengths, landscapes and excursion destinations vary.

Hiking between heathland and country estates

Most of the Ermelosche Heide is used as a nature area and is open for day visits. You can hike freely along wide sandy paths. There are also marked hiking trails, including a circular route that starts at the sheepfold.

If the length of the route matters when planning your hike, the marked trail to the Roman marching camp is a clear choice: it is 6 kilometres long in total and can be shortened to 4 kilometres. Another hiking route leads to the north of Ermelo. It is about 5 kilometres long and passes through green spaces in the northern part of Ermelo, as well as by numerous sights. The two options can therefore be distinguished by their length and character: a route to the marching camp that can be shortened, or a roughly 5-kilometre trail through green spaces and past sights.

At Landgoed Oud Groevenbeek, you can hike and cycle past woodland, flower meadows, grape greenhouses and dense thickets. The estate’s centrepiece is a villa dating from 1908, which is protected as a Rijksmonument. An adapted path on the estate is suitable for wheelchair users and visitors with visual impairments. The landscape, the building and this path offer different ways to enjoy a stay at Oud Groevenbeek.

Landgoed Staverden adds three cycling and hiking routes to the selection. All three end in the castle gardens of Staverden. Their shared endpoint is a distinctive feature that helps set these routes apart as excursion options.

Cycling, horse riding and swimming

In Ermelo’s woodland and heathland areas, you can cycle, including mountain biking, and ride horses. These activities add more ways to explore the landscape to the hiking trails. You can swim at Veluwe aan Zee (Strand Horst), adding a waterside activity to the selection.

Museum and wine estate

Museum Het Pakhuis is both an archaeological museum and a natural history museum. Visitors can view, touch and smell flint, shards and mammoth bones there. This direct interaction with the objects sets the museum visit apart from an exhibition focused solely on looking.

Telgt wine estate offers guided tours, various excursions and wine tastings. If you would like to make wine a focus of your stay, you will find several different offerings centred on the estate.

For the broader travel overview: Ermelo.