Over the Lochemse Berg to the Belvédère

You set off at the edge of Lochem, where the streets quickly give way to sandy tracks and the woods of the Lochemse Berg close around you. This is one of the few places in the Achterhoek where the landscape really rolls: ice-age push moraines left behind height differences you feel in your calves.

Along the way: beeches, heath and the Kale Berg

The path winds through old beech avenues and oak woods, with the occasional clearing where heath and grass take over. You pass the Kale Berg and the Paasberg, low summits that together form the hilly landscape around Lochem. In summer you smell warm sand and pine resin; in autumn the leaves crackle underfoot.

Highlight: the Belvédère

In the middle of the hill stands the Belvédère, a lookout tower that lifts you above the canopy. From here your gaze reaches out over the layered landscape of the Achterhoek: a patchwork of meadows, hedgerows and scattered farmsteads that recede like stage wings.

Back to Lochem

Quiet forest paths carry you back down towards the town. The final kilometres run along field edges and old oaks, with the little tower of Lochem slowly drawing nearer.

Good to know

• Sturdy shoes are welcome: the sandy paths are loose and the slopes keep coming.
• Your dog is welcome; keep it leashed near wildlife and livestock.
• There is little for refreshment along the way, so bring water and a snack.

Hotel Hof van Gelre is within walking distance of the starting point in Lochem, so you step straight out of the door into the woods and return afterwards, muddy boots and all, to the open fire.