Hiking among the Scottish Highlanders Loon op Zand

Landgoed Huis ter Heide, located between Loon op Zand and De Moer, north of Tilburg, is a hidden gem. You can enjoy walking in this watery bird paradise while admiring the noisy frogs and colorful dragonflies. There is also a good chance that you will come face to face with Scottish Highlanders, who continue to graze imperturbably on the meadows. You won't get any closer to nature than this. The area has beautiful hiking trails ranging from 4.5 to 8 kilometers, which can easily be linked to hiking trails in surrounding nature reserves by means of the hiking network.

BeleefRoutes
A tip for hikers is to be guided by the app "BeleefRoutes," which is free to download. The interactive app (also fun for kids!) lists four walking routes and two cycling routes in the municipality Loon op Zand.

One of the routes in the app is the BeleefRoute Huis ter Heide. You walk on the most beautiful forest paths and along fens, where many aquatic animals, frogs and birds are busy. A winding plank path takes you across the Leikeven; a beautiful and much-photographed lake. From the viewpoints you look out over the landscape. Most likely you will spot the Scottish Highlanders who graze wild in the nature reserve. Sitting down in between is no problem, as there are plenty of resting points with benches. Nice thing is that these are often provided with a beautiful aphorism, giving you food for thought.

The BeleefRoute app asks you a multiple-choice question at eleven points along the route, which you have to answer on the spot. Correct answers earn you points, so you can link a competition element to this with your fellow hikers. Once you have answered the question, a lock will open and you can move on to the next location and the next question. Along the route you will learn a lot about nature and nature management in the area. For more information about and to download the BeleefRoute app visit: https://beleefroutes.nl.

Walking municipality of the Year 2021
That the municipality of Loon op Zand has been chosen as Walking Municipality of the Year is not for nothing. It is a beautiful green municipality, with great scenic diversity. You will find extensive woodlands, heathlands, shifting sand areas, fens and agricultural landscape. There is an intricate network of hiking nodes of no less than 120 kilometers long; good for many kilometers of hiking fun. The majority of the network runs on unpaved paths. Along the routes you will find the necessary stops to rest, such as a picnic spot or catering establishment. For an overview of all route options in and around Loon op Zand take a look here.