Holiday apartment in Epe – heathland, hiking trails and regional history

Epe showcases its landscape diversity particularly clearly at the Tongerense Heide. There are two hiking trails there, one 5 kilometres long and the other 4 kilometres long. Streams and pronounced differences in elevation shape the transition between the high-lying, dry Veluwe and the lower-lying wet areas around Tongeren.

Nature

The Tongerense Heide is home to a comparatively large number of adders, as well as lizards, sand lizards and slow worms. The adder is considered an endangered species. In the Gemeentebos, longer routes for hiking, cycling and horse riding lead through the woodland. There are also quieter areas for animals such as wild boar, red deer and special bird species.

The Wisselse Veen comprises wet meadows, pools, spring-fed streams and ditches on the edge of the Veluwe. Mineral-rich spring waters create a species-rich flora here, attracting rare animals such as the silver-washed fritillary. The landscape thus combines open wet areas, waterways and the special habitats on the edge of the Veluwe.

Trails and activities

In the municipality of Epe, the Veluwe hiking node network combines existing hiking options such as klompenpaden, long-distance hikes and local circular routes into a single network. In the municipality, Routebureau Veluwe also develops and manages, among other things, the cycling node network, the equestrian trail network and the hiking trail network. For cyclists, the regional F50 cycling route runs as an important connection between Apeldoorn and Zwolle via Vaassen and Epe. For the Vaassen–Epe section, the municipal council of Epe adopted the preliminary design on 12 December 2024.

The Eper Enkenpad starts at the Veluws Museum Hagedoorns Plaatse and leads over high enken and through lower-lying stream valleys between the hamlets of Zuuk and Dijkhuizen near Epe. In the area around Vaassen, the 14-kilometre circular hiking trail Nijmolensebeekpad passes, among other places, Kasteel De Cannenburch, streams such as the Nijmolensebeek, mill sites and prehistoric burial mounds. Also in the area around Vaassen, you can hike along Kasteel De Cannenburch and past historic watermills while exploring the history of the area.

At 't Smallert, trout and related species can be caught daily in three fishing ponds. Fishing rods are rented for both the catch-and-release pond and the trout ponds. At Burnside Cablepark in Emst, there has been an obstacle course on the water for wakeboarders since 2009. The course includes kickers, boxes and rails; the cable park also offers stand-up paddleboarding as a group activity.

Culture and history

Daams' Molen in Vaassen is a wind-powered grain mill built in 1870 and is open to the public. On the grain floor, a model shows the mill at a scale of 1:10. The reconstruction of Daams' Molen began in 1989; on National Mill Day 1990, the mill operated again as a wind-powered grain mill.

The Veluws Museum Hagedoorns Plaatse houses a more than 300-year-old, thatched Saxon-style longhouse with characteristic historic outbuildings. The Hagedoorns treasure hunt leads through the museum, across the farmyard, and through the garden and orchard. The Cultuur Historisch Museum Oene contains a collection of more than 3,000 objects and documents relating to Oene and the surrounding area. The permanent exhibition displays historical objects from the former Zuivelfabriek De Hoop in Oene.

The park of Kasteel Cannenburch is open free of charge all year round from sunrise to sunset. Regional products are sold in the Landgoedwinkel at Kasteel Cannenburch. In Oene, the Korenmolen Werklust is also known for its own freshly milled pancake flour.

This keeps the key details needed for personal comparison visible in one place before you make a booking.

More local pages: Epe, Wissel, Vaassen, Oene.

To the higher-level travel overview: Gelderland.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

West Maas En Waal, Berkelland, Zevenaar, Maasdriel.