I awoke to the sound of raindrops on the roof…should I roll over and go back to sleep or get up and face the (perhaps) rainy day? I thought about how Netherlands is not like the BC Coast! It never rains here all day (or day after day!) So, up it is, and after watching a bit more rain while sipping on my morning Java, it did stop. We had another spectacular breakfast from Margreet and then it was time to pack up and load the bikes!

We decided to ride through the middle of Almelo…on a Sunday morning it was pretty well empty and we got through in no time. Headed south along a canal and took a circuitous route to Nijverdal following the Regge River when we could. We understood why the city was so empty…there were lots of people out on the Fietspads today!

We got to our BnB earlier than expected so dropped our panniers, had a quick butt break and a coffee and headed over to the Sallandse Park.

The Sallandse Heuvelrug lies between the Hanseatic cities of Deventer and Zwolle on one side and Twente on the other. The area, which originated in the ice age, comprises no fewer than 26 hills, the river Regge and the largest contiguous dry heathland in northwestern Europe. Part of the area is a National Park, with rare flora and fauna such as the grouse and the nightjar. This nature, but also the history and cultural history, make the area a surprising and special place in the Netherlands.

After the rain we just had some of the Heather was blooming!

What a lovely sunset! Our BnB is actually situated on the eastern edge of the park.

The pink house icon on the map below shows our location. The yellow areas are the heathlands.