Mirnser cliff.

Gaasterland is a surprisingly rolling and wooded area in the otherwise quite watery province of Friesland. We start our walk at one of the three real cliffs along the edge of the IJsselmeer, which, although not much more than 4.5 meters high, is still a real cliff. The rolling landscape was created by the uplift of the boulder clay during the penultimate ice age. Until 1932, a piece of Gaasterland's coast disappeared into the waves of the Zuiderzee, resulting in the formation of these three cliffs. After the construction of the Afsluitdijk, this came to a halt and nature was given the chance to develop further. We descend to the waterside and climb back up towards Rijsterbos. A beautiful forest with old beech and oak avenues, laid out in 1676 by the Amsterdam regent Hiob de Wildt. Huize Rijs and the castle garden were sold and demolished in 1937, but the garden has since been restored to its former glory. We walk over a restored 17th-century rondel, a historical landscape element that used to serve for decoration. Now it provides habitat for small creatures, such as insects, amphibians, and mammals. The route makes a long curve through the Elfbergen forest, the largest forest in Gaasterland and one of the forests laid out in the 19th century by jhr. Van Swinderen. The large pond with a wooden bridge was constructed between 1935 and 1937 during a work camp for young unemployed people. A lovely footpath between the fields leads us to the Jolderenbos. It is one of the oldest forests in Gaasterland; the first trees were planted over 300 years ago. Now we mainly find tall oaks, beeches, hollies, broad buckler ferns, and common Solomon's seals here. The last part of the walk has a completely different character. We walk through the open farmland down to the IJsselmeer and follow the last kilometers along the grassy dike with wide views over the water.