A buyer of greeting cards from the ColourFlux Shop wanted a larger version of the illustrations of birds with nests for on the wall. After a little check to see if the illustrations were suitable for printing in larger size, I went right to work with them. I was able to make two nice framed prints of the dunnock and chiffchaff with nest.
It is once again time for a hike on the Great rivers trail. Moreover, I want to complete all parts of this path on Dutch soil this year (2021). So the upcoming blogs are all about this long-distance trail. This time, I have combined two shorter sections (of about 11 km) into one blog post. Two separate blog posts seemed a bit redundant. These two sections go from Ochten to Hemmen and from Hemmen to Herveld-Zuid. All sorts of towns that mean nothing to me beforehand and which are all located near great river the Waal.
The time has come, the very last hike from the Green Heart hikes booklet: the Zwanburger trail in Warmond in the Netherlands. I have not been able to do this trail before, during the corona crisis the foot ferry, which you use to cross the lake ‘t Joppe twice, was taken out of service. But this year (2021) it departs again and I can still do the last trail. The trail is in two parts, though, because of course something went wrong again. In short: I had missed the foot ferry, I had to wait for 45 minutes in the scorching sun for the next departure. I therefore went back a second time.
The heather season has not yet ended at the beginning of September (2021), so I am hiking another part of the Migration birds trail in the Netherlands. I travel to Baarn and have several options for the finish line: Hollandsche Rading, Lage Vuursche or perhaps Soesterberg. As you can see from the title, it has become Hollandsche Rading. On the way, I have been busy photographing the many mushrooms, heather and other flora and fauna. So the hike is not very long this time.
It is August (2021), I am still on my holiday and the Migration birds trail cannot be missed in my hiking series. The heather season (heather in bloom) has just started and the next part of the Migration birds trail goes over the heatherlands near Hilversum! So, the choice for a hike is easily made. Today, I walk a bit over the Bussumer heide (Bussumer heatherlands), but also over the Westerheide (Western heatherlands) and the Zuiderheide (Southern heatherlands). After that, the trail goes through the forest and over the Groeneveld estate towards Baarn.
This time, two hikes in one blog post. In the first hike, I’ll be walking through the Naardermeer nature reserve and then take an extra look at the fortified walls of Naarden-Vesting. In the second hike I return to Naarden-Vesting, but this time inside the walls. I then walk through Bussum and – for a change – through the polder towards the Bantam estate, where I encounter forest for the first time on this trail. Via the Spanders woods, Zanderij Crailoo nature bridge and the Bussumerheide (Bussumer heatherlands), I finally reach Hilversum Mediapark station.
It is now the end of May (2021) and once again I am going bird watching on the Migration birds trail in the Netherlands. In this part, I hike from the Gaasperzoom park in Amsterdam to Weesp, then I continue to the edge of the Naardermeer nature reserve.
It is time again for the Migration birds trail, this time I hike from parking lot Zeeburg, Amsterdam to Gaasperzoom park and metro stop Gein also in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. This part of the trail visits several parks in and just outside Amsterdam. These parks are not completely unknown to me, in the Diemer woods and Gaasper park I have been before.
In March 2021, I will return to the Migration birds trail for the third time this month. Today I will hike from Het Schouw to Schellingwoude in Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Some hike it was! I pass through small towns with sweet little houses in the Waterland region, I have an unpleasant encounter with a goose, the weather is going all over the place, the birds sound like music to my ears and the journey takes a little longer than expected. In short, a great adventure. The comparison with a fairytale is easily made…
After a wonderful hike on the Migration birds trail between Zaanse Schans and Den Ilp last time, I really got the hang of it and travelled to Den Ilp a week later. I continue my hike through the Twiske nature and recreational area, walk a bit through Landsmeer, then go through the polders of the Ilperveld and end my hike just after the ferry at Het Schouw.
