Kaapse Bossen, which is freely translated as Cape Forests is located in the National Park Utrechtse Heuvelrug. It is a large area located in the center of The Netherlands, which is mostly covered by forests. The total area is 23 000 hectares which is equal to 230 square kilometers. The Cape Forests' area is 423 hectares (4.23 km2). On the Garmin Connect website, I have managed to find a nice route which is a hike through the forest. The pictures below were taken only minutes after I entered the forest.
That's me. On the left, I have managed to put my camera on the Alite Twig Pod and take this picture next to this beautiful rhododendron. On the right picture I'm enjoying a hot cup of coffee.
These are my Leki Carbonlite XL hiking poles. They are very light and fit nicely on the Osprey Stow-On-The-Go system.
After a while, I encountered this tall tower which is actually called the Cape Watchtower. I did not go up, because my energy levels were pretty low after 10 kilometers of hiking, but from that height (25 meters) it is possible to see the whole nature area of Utrechtse Heuvelrug, from the Amerongse Berg (mountain) in the east to the Domtoren of the city of Utrecht in the west. In nice weather, you can see in the south the Rhine River, which looks like a shiny ribbon which streams through the pastures.
This purple beetle was very unfortunate to fall on his back. If I think back about it, I still feel guilty that I did not help him up. But maybe he was just enjoying the sun.. who knows...
This area has a feeling of serenity and peace. It felt that you belonged there and could stay there forever. I have added some aftereffects to this HRD photograph.
This was also an interesting art piece which I encountered on the way out of the woods. It's a clock which is pointing 5 to 12. The attached description (in Dutch)on the tree says: 'Five to Twelve'. We can still turn the tide, it can if we want to. In the Dutch language, there is a rhyme to it.
The whole hike was around 14 kilometers. And it was really pleasant. Some areas required me to use the hiking poles as they were slightly off trail, but in my opinion, in this way, you can connect more with nature rather than when you are walking on the crowded path. This is the GPS route that I have covered. You can download it here: Kaapse Bossen route on the Garmin Connect website