Holiday apartment in Tonden: Discover heathland, nature and trails

Tonden is characterised by landscapes where open heathland, wet areas and changing trails come together. The Empese en Tondense Heide is a vast, open area with dry and wet heathland, purple moor-grass grassland, wet nutrient-poor grassland and ponds. A significant part of Tonden forms part of the Landgoederen Brummen Natura 2000 site. Nature observation, hiking and cycling in Tonden can be linked to specific landscape areas and trails.

Heathland, ponds and small woodlands

Hiemberg is also part of the landscape. This nature area lies between the Hoevesteeg and the Haarweg in Tonden. Hiemberg includes fields, ponds, small woodlands and shrubland. In the Hiemberg area, hiking is possible on public roads.

Trails with history and changing landscapes

The Mestweg through the Empese en Tondense Heide is a raised path that was formerly used to transport manure and heath sods. The trail’s historical significance therefore lies explicitly in its former use.

The Sprabanenpad offers a different landscape experience. It runs through the river ridge landscape west of the IJssel and through arable-land and floodplain landscapes. Those who choose this trail are travelling through a landscape area that differs from the Empese en Tondense Heide: river ridges, arable land and floodplains take centre stage. For an outing focused on river landscapes, the Sprabanenpad can therefore be considered separately from the heathland trails around Tonden.

Hiking the Stationswandeling

The 16-kilometre “Stationswandeling” runs mostly through Tonden. In some sections it follows paved roads, while in others it uses wide and narrow sandy paths. For planning a day of hiking, the 16 kilometres provide the fixed framework of the route. In addition, the surface changes between paved roads, wide sandy paths and narrow sandy paths. During a complete hike, the length and trail surfaces can therefore be taken into account together when planning the day.

Cycling route through the Gelderland landscape

The cycling route “Een route door het Gelderse landschap rond Tonden” also has its own focus. It heads west through the Empese en Tondense Heide and returns to Tonden. Along the way, it offers views across heathland, marshland, woodland and grassland. When planning a cycling trip, the return to Tonden is a fixed part of the route. Unlike the Stationswandeling, the focus here is on cycling and on the changing landscapes of heathland, marshland, woodland and grassland. The two routes therefore differ in their mode of travel and course: the Stationswandeling is 16 kilometres long and runs mostly through Tonden, while the cycling route heads west through the heathland and returns to Tonden.

Discover more places

If you would like to continue planning your trip beyond Tonden, you can find the other places here: Brummen, Hall, Eerbeek.

To the overarching travel overview: Brummen.