Footsteps path

The Footsteps Path is a marked circular walk of 25 km around Hilversum. The walk goes through forests and over heathlands. Along the way, you can see the Wester- and Zuiderheide, Hilversum's wasmeer (lake), the Hoornboeg, the Leeuwenpaal, and the burial mounds "The Seven Hills". The route is circular, marked clockwise, and can be started at various points. This route starts at NS station Hollandse Rading, where there is also ample free parking and is near the A27.

The Footsteps Path is indicated by concrete markers with a white footprint and small plaques with a foot. You can walk the trail by following the markers. At the Goois Nature Reserve, a brochure can be ordered with a map and explanations about the landscape along the way.

The history of this walking path dates back to 1938. The Stichting het Gooische Hotelplan believes that more walking paths should be created to attract tourists to the Gooi area. The municipality of Hilversum decided to create the Footsteps Path with the idea that walkers would feel like wandering through forests and over heathlands. 1938 was a time of crisis years, during which there were many unemployed people.

As part of the labor provision, 12 unemployed youths worked under the guidance of a foreman from the municipality of Hilversum. The unemployed youths constructed the walking path between 1938 and 1939 and also built benches and the well-known concrete signposts with footprints. In the decades that followed, no one looked after the path, resulting in posts becoming invisible and some sections being overgrown. Due to the expansion of Hilversum, the route now goes through new housing developments. In 1997, attention was again paid to the old walking path, and the Footsteps Path was restored after years of neglect.