The walk in one line
Start at Natuurpoort Groot Speijck, follow the blue posts, expect to spend three to four hours, and don't try to count the fens too rigidly — there are more than fourteen visible if you take side paths, and a few are easy to miss in summer when the reeds are high. The route is flat, well-drained almost year-round, and largely on forest tracks with a few sandier stretches.
Why this walk?
Two reasons. The first is variety: in twelve kilometres you cross open heath, deep pine forest, oak coppice, a stretch of birch bog and the edges of about a dozen genuinely beautiful meres, no two the same. The second is the way the trail manages to feel remote despite never being more than a couple of kilometres from a road. You disappear into the reserve almost immediately, and by the second fen you have stopped hearing traffic.
It is the kind of walk you can do in a fast three hours if you're being efficient or stretch into a whole day with a flask, a sandwich and time to sit by the water. We'd argue for the second.
"Counting the fens becomes a private game by the end. Fourteen is the official number. Most people stop at twelve and start over."
What to expect, in stages
Stage 1 — From Groot Speijck to the first water
You leave the gate, cross the road, and within five minutes the trees close over the path. The first fen appears on your left, framed by old pines, often glassy in the early morning. This first stretch is the easiest underfoot and a good place to set your pace. Listen for great spotted woodpeckers and, in spring, cuckoos.
Stage 2 — Through the oak coppice
The trail climbs almost imperceptibly onto slightly higher ground and the forest changes character: oak and birch dominate, with thick bracken at ground level in summer. You are walking through what was once part of the bark-stripping plantation that supplied the town's tanneries. The trees you can see were grown for a purpose, but have been allowed to mature for over a hundred years.
Stage 3 — The big fens
This is the heart of the walk. Voorste Goorven opens up on your right, a broad expanse of dark water framed by reed and pine — the classic Oisterwijk view, the one that ends up in everyone's photographs. Its quieter sister, Achterste Goorven, sits a little further on. A small wooden bird hide overlooks one of them; sit for ten minutes and something usually moves.
Stage 4 — Across the heath
Roughly halfway round, the trail crosses an area of open heath. In August it turns purple with bell heather; in late October it is gold and copper. This is the section to do without headphones — stonechats, skylarks and the occasional adder live here, and the views open out for the first time.
Stage 5 — Past the swim fen
The route skirts Staalbergven, the only fen where swimming is allowed. In summer it is busy with families and the sound of children; in winter it is one of the loveliest empty spots on the walk. Either way, there is usually somewhere to sit on the sandy edge for a coffee from your flask.
Stage 6 — The return through the pines
The last few kilometres lead back through plantation pinewood, with occasional broadleaf clearings where the canopy has been thinned. This is where you most often see deer — early or late, especially in autumn. The trail comes back to the gate, the car park appears through the trees, and most people sit on the terrace at Groot Speijck for a beer before they realise they're tired.
Practicalities
| Distance | ~12 km (about 7.5 miles) |
|---|---|
| Time | 3–4 hours at a moderate pace; 5+ if you linger |
| Start | Natuurpoort Groot Speijck, Van Tienhovenlaan |
| Marking | Blue posts (round, with a blue band) |
| Terrain | Flat; forest tracks, sand and short heath stretches |
| Underfoot | Good year-round; can be sandy in dry summer, muddy in patches after rain |
| Suitable for | Confident walkers; older children; hardier mobility scooters on the firmer paths |
What to bring
- Water — there is no tap on the route, only at the gates.
- A snack and (in season) a flask of coffee. The terraces close early in winter.
- Binoculars if you have them — kingfishers, woodpeckers, deer.
- A waterproof. This is the Netherlands; weather changes.
- Cash or contactless for café-stops; small Dutch forest cafés are usually cards-only now.
When to walk it
Honestly, any time. Spring is loud with birdsong, summer brings dragonflies and the swim option, autumn turns the larches gold and brings the deer rut, winter strips the trees and reveals the bones of the landscape. If we had to pick one window: early October, on a still morning with mist over the fens. Few walks in Europe pay you back so well for getting up early.
Variations
If you want a longer day, link the 14-Fens loop with a section of Kampina to the east. If you want shorter, the family loop from Boshuis Venkraai gives you the same forest atmosphere in around 5 km. For the full collection of marked routes see our walking routes overview.