Holiday apartment in Ugchelen: Hiking between forest, heathland and sprengen

Ugchelen combines forest, heathland and a distinctive water landscape with traces of regional history. The sprengen in particular – artificially created waterways – shape many paths and tell the story of the former use of water. This creates a destination where short walks, longer hikes and discoveries of cultural history can be combined.

Holiday apartment in Ugchelen for varied days of hiking

The “Drie Sprengen” hike is 5.5 kilometres long, starts on the outskirts of Ugchelen and follows the sources of three sprengen. The archaeological hike “op pad met Moerman” has another fixed starting and finishing point: it begins and ends at the Het Leesten car park, Hoenderloseweg 191, 7339 GG Ugchelen. The route can be walked using the IVN Natuur app. This allows nature observation and archaeological themes to be combined along a defined route.

The ’t Leesten information centre is housed in the Bospaviljoen ’t Leesten. Short walks and several hiking routes through forest and heathland begin there. The ’t Leesten nature area lies on the edge of Ugchelen and is therefore a defining landscape area for the locality. If you value a range of hiking options when choosing your holiday apartment, you can deliberately compare the length and thematic focus of your excursions.

Forest, heathland and expansive views

The longer “Hoog Buurlo – Ugchelse Bos” hiking route leads from De Cantharel along wide and narrow forest paths. It then crosses a large, usually quiet heathland with beautiful distant views and continues through a final area of wind-blown sand. The transition between forest paths, open heathland and sandy landscape gives this route a distinctly different rhythm from the shorter walks at the information centre.

The Ugcheler Markepad also passes through different landscape areas: across heathland and eschland, along sprengen and through forests. The “Langs Beken en Sprengen” route from Ugchelen leads to places that recall the history of Apeldoorn and the neighbouring villages. Streams and sprengen, together with the water mills located along them, played a major role in economic activity from the 17th century until the beginning of the 20th century. In this way, the landscape itself becomes the common thread for an active day shaped by cultural history.

Sprengen as part of the locality’s history

The sources, or spreng heads, of the Winkewijert lie in a small woodland south of Ugchelen. From there, the spreng runs northeast through the De Bouwhof district, passing the former Winkewijert mill site. The landscape on the outskirts of Ugchelen shows how, since the Middle Ages, groundwater and seepage water were channelled to a water mill via dug sprengen. In the mid-19th century, Ugchelen had eleven artisan paper mills. This historical development gives the paths along the waterways additional significance.

When choosing a holiday apartment in Ugchelen, you can plan your stay according to your preferred daily rhythm: short walks at ’t Leesten, a 5.5-kilometre hike along three sprengen, or a longer route through forest, heathland and an area of wind-blown sand. The routes described offer different ways of experiencing the same landscape and help you determine the right focus for your excursions.

More places for planning your trip: Loenen, Uddel, Beemte Broekland, Hoenderloo, Apeldoorn, Beekbergen, Nieuw-Milligen, Hoog-Soeren.

To the overview of the surrounding travel region: Apeldoorn.