Flow the Collection · 14 April 2026
Around Lochem lies one of the greenest corners of the Achterhoek. Within a small triangle you find old estates, a wayward river and a genuine little hill, all of them walkable in a single loop. Walk here and you discover that distance hardly matters: a few kilometres can fill a whole afternoon.
The estates: Ampsen and Verwolde
The estates east of Lochem are the heart of the walking area. On Ampsen you walk beneath centuries-old beeches and oaks, past small fields and a tucked-away manor. On Verwolde stands Huis Verwolde, and a little further 'De Dikke Boom', the thickest summer oak in the Netherlands. Between the estates, church paths and hedgerows stitch the landscape together.
The Berkel valley
The Berkel meanders right through the area. It is a river in no hurry, drawing lazy bends through meadows and reed fringes. Along the banks you walk narrow paths where the water sometimes comes so close that you hear the moorhens. In spring everything is full of cow parsley; in summer it is cool under the trees.
The Lochemse Berg
For those who want some height, there is the Lochemse Berg with the Kale Berg and the Paasberg. Ice-age push moraines give this part of the Achterhoek its rolling character. At the top stands the Belvédère, looking out over the layered landscape: meadows and copses receding like stage wings.
Would you rather walk a mapped route? Our walk over the Lochemse Berg links the woods to the lookout tower and is dog-friendly.
Through the seasons
The estates are at their finest in late spring, when the canopy has just closed, and in October, when the beeches turn orange. The Berkel belongs to the wet season, the Lochemse Berg to clear, dry days. Really, there is no wrong moment.
A base in Lochem
Hotel Hof van Gelre in Lochem sits right in this triangle, within walking distance of the first paths. You step out of the door into the landscape in the morning and put your feet up again in the afternoon. A fine place to anchor a walking weekend.
