High on Saskia's wish list was to discover the Veluwe with the family. And so she chose BoerenBed as the child-friendly base of this trip. Get ready for all the cool tips and experiences for a lovely weekend away in your own country with a high Southern European holiday feel - at least if you are a bit lucky with the weather. If not, we also have tips. In short, no need to get bored!
Discover De Hoge Veluwe National Park with children
In cooperation with BoerenBed
With a mission to explore the Netherlands, a trip to the extraordinary Veluwe nature reserve could not be out of the question. It seemed a nice experience to be able to visit the park by bike from your holiday address. We also found it important that the base, the accommodation, was comfortable, but also had enough to do for children. We chose a luxury glamping tent at BoerenBed at Hoeve Meijer. It was a warm welcome from farmer Frits and farmer's wife Jenny and to our surprise - because it is not a holiday period - all tents were occupied by families who often choose this nice place. That already promised a lot!
BoerenBed: luxury camping with an original twist
The accommodation at BoerenBed: we expect ‘standard safari tents’ we know from other trips, but this tent was really different. Better. More luxurious. Although it is basic accommodation (no electricity and cooking on a fire), the tent is spacious and fully equipped. True to the farmhouse theme, the spacious tents are beautifully decorated with good furniture and comfortable beds. Besides a large living room, there are also two bedrooms and a box bed. We have never had the pleasure of spending the night in such a special tent. You also have a private toilet. For the private shower, you have to take a short walk.
Farmer's Bed at Hoeve Meijer
We soon lost the children at Hoeve Meijer; they joined the others on the trampoline. And a little later the boys race past in one of the many go-karts, while the girls have discovered ‘cuddling guinea pigs’. While they enjoy farm life, we buy a nice bottle of wine in Jenny's farm shop. On arrival, she tells us that the shop is open 24/7. You can indicate on a chalkboard what you have packed and whether you want fresh bread and milk the next morning. When you leave, you are charged. This is how it should be on holiday. Their conviviality and this casual atmosphere must be the reason they are BoerenBed's best-scoring campsite.
A weekend at BoerenBed by Hoeve Meijer on the Veluwe.
National Park De Hoge Veluwe with kids: playground Park Pavilion big hit
The first morning at BoerenBed starts well with breakfast outside in the sun and fresh eggs the children have gathered from the chickens. We take a hearty breakfast for some extra energy before the bike ride to National Park De Hoge Veluwe. The children bring their own bikes (we fix loaner bikes) and after twenty minutes of hard pedalling we reach the park entrance. To enter the park you have to pay entrance fee.
Cycling in the Veluwe
Not coming by bike, but would like to cycle through National Park De Hoge Veluwe? You can! There are hundreds of white bicycles ready for visitors for free. Good to know: there are also plenty of bikes with child seats and we also saw (large) children's bikes. So should you still decide to come by car, this might be useful information!
We take a nice bike ride and admire the richness of this special forest. We pass a dense forest as well as wide views with sand dunes. We stop halfway at a beautiful viewpoint. But alas, the big four of the Veluwe we have not spotted (these are red deer, wild boar, mouflon and the roe). We did spot another big surprise: The beautiful Park Pavilion Hoge Veluwe which was opened in 2019 by our king. Besides a beautiful terrace, there is also a giant nature playground, including cable car and high scrambling structures. Our day can't go wrong!
Also fun with (older) children in De Hoge Veluwe National Park: The Nature Game. Read all about this interactive scavenger hunt in this article.
Cycling with children through De Hoge Veluwe National Park.
FarmersBed: milking cows and pizza night to make the weekend complete
Tired but satisfied from the bike ride, we arrive back at the farm. The children have to spring into action straight away, because farmer Frits is going to take the cows out to pasture and then they get to milk them by hand the old-fashioned way. They have not yet finished and they are already drawn to the next highlight: a female guinea pig is busy giving birth to four hatchlings. You read: at the campsite, children are not bored for a moment.
Every weekend, Frits and Jenny also organise a pizza night for guests. Tip to sign up for this! Farmer Jenny festively sets up a long row of picnic tables and farmer Frits puts on his wood-fired oven.
Taking turns, families get to top their own pizzas and put them in the oven. At the end of the evening, the dads and kids play a game of batting ball on the big field in the evening sun. Our weekend is complete and then we have another day of chilling ahead of us!
Fun activities near Harskamp and Otterlo
Although we only stayed for a weekend, this campsite is also the perfect base for a (mid)week away. There is so much to do in the area. I would like to highlight a number of activities. Some are also handy tips in case it doesn't turn out to be sunny after all.
- Explore the surroundings by horse-drawn carriage and Book a covered wagon ride.
- If you love museums, then you should definitely check out the Kröller Müller museum don't skip it. It is located in the National Park, making it perfect to combine if you have a bike ride through the park planned.
- Pay a visit to Wageningen. A follower tipped me off that you will find very nice thrift shops here.
- The cities of Arnhem, Apeldoorn, Harderwijk and Deventer are also easy to reach by car, for example for a city walk and drinks.
- Go hiking through the Mossel Sands: discover these special sands and imagine yourself in another part of the world Do you have children? Here is also a beautiful nature playground OERRR From Natuurmonumenten.
- Near Otterlo is also a nice swimming lake De Zanding.
- Also easy to reach by car are the Apenheul, Burgers’ Zoo, Paleis het Loo and Children's amusement park Julianatoren.
Enthused by our experience? Check out more about these fun glampings.
More kidsproof tips from thegreenlist.nl
- A city trip Utrecht with children, we have a laundry list of tips.
- Always good with kids: go to Center Parcs. And then Het Meerdal in Brabant a very nice park.
- Don't drop the word home, because then you must. We are going to the Efteling, because that's another park doing it more sustainably. Yoo-hoo!
Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
