2022-05-14 52 5

Location

In the forest outside Apeldoorn, Gelderland province.

Participants

Expedition

Today was warm and sunny, this hash was in a reachable place, and I had time to go on this trip for my 100th Geohashing expedition! I had some housework to do at first, but once that was finished I went to the train station and boarded the train. I had to transfer in Leiden as well as in Amsterdam Zuid, and finally reached Apeldoorn station after a little less than two hours. There I rented an OV-fiets bike and rode off towards the huge forest at the northwestern edge of the city.

This forest, known as Het Loo Crown Estate, is owned by the Dutch state but used by the Royal Family. This has drawn some controversy since the King sometimes closes down the forest for his private hunting parties. There were no hunts today though, and I was able to cycle most of the way towards the hash point, only having to walk the last 200 metres or so. The point was on a footpath, and I took a few pictures. Then I walked around the forest a bit more, before getting back on my bike and riding south towards Radio Kootwijk. That's actually the name of a village, named after the humongous radio transmitter built there in the 1920s to communicate with the Dutch colonies in Indonesia. Once there, I took some more pictures and then rode back to the train station.

Photos

The train that brought me from Leiden to Amsterdam Zuid (in the financial district)
My wheels for the day. At Apeldoorn station they use a new model of OV-fiets with an electronic lock that you can open using your public transport card. No more physical keys needed.
The entrance to the forest. "Het Loo", which means "the forest", is a very common toponym across the country.
Although I could technically cycle all the way to the hash, I decided to leave the bike here. Note that horses are not allowed, so I told Lloyd to be very quiet.
Made it!
Lloyd and Toettoet celebrating.
Looking north.
Looking south.
It's a nice forest, with sandy soil and lots of open space.
On the way to Radio Kootwijk I rode past this huge open area.
The main transmitter building of Radio Kootwijk. Sadly there's no equipment left, and the 200 metre tall aerials are long gone too, but it's still a beautiful building.