We found this place by accident. It doesn’t look like much from the outside and is pretty close to a busy road, but on further investigation it is actually quite a pleasant little walk. It’s about a 20-25 minute drive from Haarlem centre.
The off-leash area is large enough for a decent stroll, the leashed-only area is mostly the open plain where the picnic tables are. The paths cross each other in several places and you can probably stretch a walk for maximum one hour, maybe a little longer if you take time to have a good sniff around. There are a lot of natural looking canals lined with long grasses and reeds, which make it a sniffing paradise for any pup. The water was clean in most places, there was a little litter in some of them but nothing you could not avoid.
The off-leash pathways are not 100% clearly marked, I found myself entering a losloopgebiet when I did not realise I had left one, however there was nobody else around to complain – I think we met about 3 other walkers the whole time we were there.
Parking can be found at the P+R Getsewoud Zuid, walk towards the Jeugland and cross the road at that point to find the entrance. Or you can park at the official parking place (Parkeerplaats Venneperhout) at the other end of the park.
Note: This walk is not the same side as the Jeugland, it is on the opposite side of the road.
Pros
- Very peaceful place, hardly any other people walking
- Clean water and shade
- Lots of sniffing fun
Cons
- Close to a busy road with no fencing
Where is it?
Loslopen.net 