Salland Ridge Rolling hills

Who wants to walk through rolling hills does not necessarily have to go to England. Overijssel has the Salland Ridge. A robust, rolling landscape, where vigorous sandy paths wind through the vast heath. Fabulous! In the coming years, hard work will be done here to get nature back in top shape. Dogs are allowed on a leash here.
 

N.B. The map shows the SHORT route (13 km), outside the breeding season you can also take the LONG version of this route (6 km longer, 18 km), follow the instructions in the route description.

Sheep herd Twilhaar

The sheepfold Twilhaar is the permanent home of a herd of about 600 - 700 sheep that graze away the grasses that encroach on the heath. Recently, the herd has been guarded at night by some beautiful Pyrenean Mountain Dogs. With their thick white fur, they appear sweet and pettable, but they are not. They must not only herd the sheep but also keep wolves at bay. Whether the wolf is already roaming here or not is unclear. But he is welcome.

National Labor Camp Twilhaar

This site was home to the National Labor Camp Twilhaar from 1940-1947, a work project for unemployed men. They drained the wild land and laid paths through the forests and over the heath. During World War II, Jewish people were also employed here, many of whom were deported and never returned. Let us not forget, these bronze frames with portraits of Jewish men remind us.

Tornado?

Five thousand years ago, the Salland hills already attracted attention. Then by farmers who cut down trees and developed fields. They were submerged, after which they planted pines to hold the sand in place. But that became a static mess. Away with those pines, nature managers wanted, more room for the heath, more open spaces. Who looks out over the Salland Ridge now sees a whole lot of open spots. As if a tornado has swept through. What is going on here?

Stay trees

No tornado, but something like it. The storms of 2018, the forest ranger explains, caused a lot of damage. But there is also deliberate felling. The goal is to expand the heath. It is full of insects which the capercaillie chicks enjoy. The bird is rare in the Netherlands, but it still occurs in the Salland Ridge. Trees with a blue dot are called 'stay trees' or 'future trees,' which will not be cut down.

Bag of sand

If this isn’t a beautiful view over the rolling hills... All those parallel lines, just like staffs between which little trees and bushes hang like musical notes. There’s a story about a giant from Prussia who dragged a bag of sand to dam the sea. Sand leaked out of a hole and thus these Salland 'mountains' were formed: Sprengenberg, Haarlerberg, Noetselerberg, Archemerberg, Hellendoornse Berg and Grote Koningsbelt, the tallest of them all at 75.5 m.

Major renovation

Besides storms, drying out, fragmentation, and acidification have also affected the Salland Ridge. Nature is struggling. The condition of buckthorn, heather, and shrub heather needs improvement. Therefore, trees are cut down, heather is mowed, and lime is spread. A multi-year plan. Capercaillies have even been flown in from Scandinavia to bring the population back to par. But still, you walk here—in late summer—through a sea of purple. Un-Dutch beautiful. And foreign spicy, that long climb up Haarlerberg.

Getting to work with sap

Along the beautiful, worn path over the Noetselerberg, you see many oddly shaped oaks. From the bark of young oaks, tannin was once extracted, a type of tanning agent used in leather processing. Hellendoorn was known for this leather tanning. When the young trunks are about 7 cm thick, they were cut down and barked. This happened in May, when the sap flow in the tree is at its peak.

Living beings

If you could hear all the living beings on the Salland Ridge, it would be as bustling as could be. There are roe deer, foxes, badgers, stone martens, polecats, weasels, ermines, and various species of bats. Frogs, toads, lizards, sand lizards, snakes, nightjars, skylarks, European stonechats, crested tits, crossbills, Honey Buzzards, hawks, nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers, hawfinches—up to 75 bird species. Do you see mice impaled on a thorn or barbed wire? It's the work of the great grey shrike. A tasty morsel for later.

The capercaillie

The male capercaillie is a show-off. He clocks, hisses, and grunts, and to impress the female, he makes jumps of sometimes two meters high. This courtship period is in spring, and that is the best time to spot the animal. In winter, when it snows, you might see a capercaillie looking for food in the treetops. Young capercaillies mainly eat insects on the heath. The capercaillie hides around Haarlerberg, but his favorite hangout is the Grote Koningsbelt. Unfortunately, walkers encounter a barrier; the capercaillie must not be disturbed.

What do you mean big quiet heath?

If you could hear all the living beings on the Salland Ridge, it would be as bustling as could be. There are roe deer, foxes, badgers, stone martens, polecats, weasels, ermines, and various species of bats. Frogs, toads, lizards, sand lizards, snakes, nightjars, skylarks, European stonechats, crested tits, crossbills, Honey Buzzards, hawks, nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers, hawfinches—up to 75 bird species. Do you see mice impaled on a thorn or barbed wire? It's the work of the great grey shrike. A tasty morsel for later.

Spooky story

The route passes ancient juniper bushes, gnarled oaks, and white birches, which the former residents took for ghost hares, gray foals, and white women. On a foggy day, you can see why. Drama enough on the Salland Ridge. Beautiful when the 'spooky story' of acidification (in 2019 as sour as vinegar) is also a thing of the past. Hands together for a top-fit ridge.

Happy ending

What a view! Time to tell the real story of the Salland Ridge. It was not, of course, a giant who lost sand, but a glacier kilometers thick that pushed and folded the earth's surface. This enormous ridge forms the boundary between Twente and Salland, between Twents and Sallands, between 'tuffel' (potato) and 'earpel' (potato). Craving a fries? Follow the blue route back to the Visitor Center. There you will find the terrace of Buitengewoon Lekker.