Wassenaar is home to some of the most beautiful houses in the Netherlands. Driving into town, you immediately pass the most beautiful, luxurious detached houses with the fattest cars in their driveways. Hiking in Wassenaar can already be called an outing, but the best thing about this is that at the same time you find yourself in a quiet, wooded area with many different beautiful hiking, running or cycling routes, called Meijendel. Will you come for a walk with us in Meijendel?
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Nature reserve Meijendel
Meijendel is a beautiful dune area in Wassenaar. Many different plants and animals can be found. This makes it a special dune area with many different landscapes. In whatever season you come here, you get a different impression of Meijendel each time. Indeed, each season brings different scenes: in spring the hawthorns bloom and the flowers, shrubs and trees come alive with all their beautiful colors while in autumn you walk among the mushrooms and tree leaves.
Fun fact: nowhere else in the Netherlands are so many nightingales found as in Meijendel. It is therefore no coincidence that Meijendeel is part of the top ten most bird-rich nature reserves in the Netherlands.
Not only bird lovers can enjoy themselves here: parents with young children can also have a great day in Meijendel, as can hiking or biking enthusiasts.
Children’s playground
Around the pancake farm it is one big play paradise for children. There are several landscaped playgrounds with all kinds of playground equipment. Climbing, scrambling, sliding, or hurtling down the cable car, it’s all possible in the Monkey Forest. When the sun shines, children can also have fun at the water playground. There are also many large grassy fields where children play soccer, wheelies or tag. Consequently, many parents sit here at the same time enjoying a nice drink in the sunshine.
Of course, when the kids get hungry from all that exercise, there is the pancake farm. In addition to pancakes, you can also get a refreshing ice cream or drink here. Furthermore, toilet facilities are also located here. Everything you need for a wonderful day out in Meijendel.
Hiking trails in Meijendel
You can enjoy hiking in the nature reserve of Meijendel in the dunes. There are many different routes to follow. The starting point of the routes is at the parking lot of the pancake farm or, if it is very crowded, at the parking lot a little further away. From here you can walk to the pancake farm in 15 minutes. Be sure to follow the white posts to get here.
The different routes you can walk are clearly marked with posts in the different colors (yellow, green, blue, red) with a distance indication.
If you walk the blue trail you will come to a viewpoint at some point. Here you can walk up a bit to a platform. From here you can look over the entire dune area and in the distance you can even see the Ferris wheel on Scheveningen’s pier. A board here also provides more information about the different animals that live in the dune area of Meijendel.
Continuing along the blue trail, you’ll come across a fenced-in area called the observation wall. This observation wall features a high diversity of different birds. You can enter here through a gate, where it is recommended to be as quiet as possible. This increases the chances of spotting the birds. You are (logically) not allowed to bring your dog inside.
If you prefer to determine your own route along fun, winding hiking trails, you can buy a day pass for Kijfhoek & Bierlap. This area is also part of Meijendel and a lot quieter than the marked trails with colored posts. Furthermore, this area is also a grazing area. That means you may encounter Galloway cattle, Konik horses or deer here. Don’t get too worked up about this, however: these animals don’t seek out crowds and are certainly not overly interested in you. So you can walk around here in peace without fear that they will hurt you. The day ticket can easily be purchased online through this site.
After an active day in Meijendel, you can spend the evening in The Hague. Discover the best activities in The Hague and Scheveningen here. Looking for more fun hikes? Then check out the wonderful hike in Schoorl.
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