Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: heide

Renderklippen is a nature reserve, which is characterised by vast stretches of moorland that lie on moraines. These moraines were created during the last ice age. Archaeological excavations have shown that the area was already inhabited as early as 700 BC. There are several vantage points ranging in height from 25 to 30 metres throughout the undulating landscape, where one can enjoy breathtaking vistas. Because the Renderklippen nature reserve is located far from major cities, it is one of the few places in the Netherlands where it can still be really dark at night. Especially at the end of the summer, when the heather is in bloom, the Renderklippen is transformed into a landscape more purple than purple. For me, it is one of the most beautiful heather landscapes in the Netherlands

The Zuiderheide is one of the heathland areas in Het Gooi ; an area centred on the spur of the so called Utrechtse Heuvelrug (Utrecht Hill Ridge). The height differences in the area were created 120,000 years ago during the penultimate ice age. There are several ca. 4,000-year-old prehistoric burial mounds on the Zuiderheide , which protrude above the heathland like clearly recognisable green domes. The southernmost part of the heathland - near Theehuis 't Bluk - consists of shifting sand, in fact a Dutch 'desert'. The sand that lies here was once brought by the polar storms of the last ice age. After being pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the area last year, this year we visited especially for the blooming heather fields. And partly due to the wet spring, the Zuiderheide was also purple as purple can be !!

Nationaal Park Veluwezoom (Veluwezoom National Park) is the oldest national park of the Netherlands. It has a surface area of 50 square kilometers at the southeastern edge of the Veluwe, a complex of terminal push moraines, dating back to the Saalian glaciation (150.000 years ago). For the Netherlands the park has a pronounced relief with the highest point in the park at (almost) 110 meters above sea level. The landscape of the park - formed during the two most recent glacial periods - consists of forests, heathland and a small sand drift. The park has a large amount of heathlands. Especially the area around the Posbank - a 90 meters high hill - is one of the most popular destinations when the heather is blooming. From the top of the hill one has astounding views over the area. The Vereniging Natuurmonumenten (Society for Preservation of Nature Monuments in the Netherlands) bought the first piece of the Veluwezoom in 1911. Since then it has acquired more areas. In 1930 it became the first national park in the Netherlands. The park is freely accessible.

Het Gooi (also named ’t Gooi or Gooiland ) is an area centred on the spur of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug (Utrecht Hill Ridge). It has a highest point with the Tafelberg (36,4 meters above sea level). But nature and landscape are completely different from the surrounding countryside, which is flat and lies below sea level. Het Gooi was originally covered with woods and heath. Nowadays the landscape is still dominated by a dry, sandy ridge. Some of the woods and heath have survived. We were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the landscape with an alternation of forests, small green meadows and especially the vast heathlands. All nature areas are managed by the Goois Natuurreservaat ( Gooi Nature Reserve Foundation). Het Gooi is not only known for its natural beauty, but also for the villas of its wealthy inhabitants. The area is well known as the home of the rich and famous !!

White sand of the dunes and blooming heather in the ‘Noordhollands Duinreservaat’ (North-Holland Dune Reserve). This reserve is controlled by the provincial water company and stretches from Bergen aan Zee till the North Sea Canal nearby Wijk aan Zee. The area is open to the public (walker and cyclist), however an admission ticket is needed. The photo is taken along the Verspijckweg (a bike lane through the dunes) just north of the village of Bergen aan Zee.

Renderklippen: one of the lateral moraines (about 15 meters high), covered with flowering heather. More info (Dutch): nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renderklippen