"Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest."
~ Henry Van Dyke

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Will you go for a walk with me?

We are off to the nature reserve of Fochtelooerveen. This is an area of wetland bog called 'veen' which was cut into blocks for turf or peat. This kind of heat source is no longer used in Holland and these areas are now protected.

The path starts out paved as this section is also a bike path. Be sure to listen for bicycles coming...

The woods are open here with many birch, beech and oak growing. Here and there, you can see some fungi growing on downed branches.

Elderberry are full of berries which is a feast for the birds.

Coming out of the open wooded area, we have to cross a bridge to go further into the woods.

We have to enter the dense woods which is like going into a troll's woods dark and spooky. Looking ahead you see light at the end of the path.

This area is rich is various kinds of toadstools some of which are huge. They are thriving in the dark and damp conditions.

One section of the dark woods had been chopped down and a little section of light creates an eerie path across the old tree roots which are covered over in moss.

At last, we arrive at the lookout tower which is a 15 meter (50 foot) construction of wood and steel. It is a steep climb but the outlook will be worth the effort.

Don't worry about the swaying feeling in the wind, it is safe.

We are as high as the tree tops.

And this is our reward, views out across the area...bog as far as you can see.

15 comments:

Jeanne said...

Thank you Heidi for the relaxing and peaceful walk today! I work from my home somedays and can take a break from work to get on my own personal computer and I sometimes will read a blog post or two to reduce work stress. This just was perfect for today, I love how dense the forest is with all the moss and the toadstools!

Unknown said...

What a great place to walk. Lots to investigate.

MoonBeam said...

That was really pleasant. Thank you. Love the treed archways with a path leading to the unknown.

Tammy said...

What a lovely walk - thanks for taking us along. :o) Since I live on the Great Plains, forest areas are fascinating to me. You're lucky to be able to spend time there!

Jackie's Stitches said...

I'd love to be close to a place like that to walk! Beautiful!

DonnaTN said...

Thank you for sharing your beautiful woodland photos. I was I could be there in person.

Anonymous said...

thank you for sharing your walk. Love the "troll's woods".

Celestial Charms said...

How breathtakingly beautiful our walk was. Thank you for inviting us. Quite an adventure, for a city girl like myself! ;)
Maureen

Sonja said...

Dat was lekker thuiskomen, zo'n gezonde wandeling na een lange dag binnenzitten! Leuk dat je ons volgers zo mee op pad neemt voor een boswandeling!

Nancy said...

Heidi..thanks so much for sharing your walk with us.That is such a lovely walk to take in the fall.What a reward to go up to the top of the tower lookout to enjoy the view at the end.Those are some tall trees!

Annie said...

Thank you, Heidi, for this beautiful and peaceful walk !

Melanie said...

I would love to go on a walk with you! I have never seen a "real" toadstool and I can't get over how big they can be! The moss over the tree trunks look eerie.

Nancy said...

That is one very weird tower. I have not seen that and won't since you have to walk so far to get there.
I LOVE THAT TOADSTOOL. I bet gnomes come to have meetings there. Neat, neat neat.
Love you, Mom

Willy said...

Prachtige omgeving, de naam zegt me wel wat, zo eens even googelen.
Groetjes

Vicki said...

To Heidi: Thank you for posting such beautiful photos of the land around you. I had thought red mushrooms/toadstools to be only a fantasy in children's books. I enjoy visiting your blog so much. I wanted to also say that I have scrolled through previous posts and I believe I am discovering that you are having a problem with your vision. I find myself thinking about it in odd, quiet moments although I don't even know you. You must be so uneasy and I hope you are not in pain. You have such a great visual awareness of the small and large things around you, and also the lovely things you create; the good eye for color and design/display. You seem like a quietly-strong and courageous woman who will find her way through this unexpected challenge, compensating in new ways. Good, healing thoughts to you always, Vicki in the USA