Quick walks – Loslopen.net

Noorderneg/Het Maalwater, Heiloo

There are two parts to the walking areas in Heiloo that we tend to visit. Noorderneg is essentially a long pathway or two that runs parallel to the water ways and this is a lovely spot in summer to cool off, and the other area is Heilooërbos, which is more of a forest area.

Noorderneg is a section of the Heiloo park, close to the children’s play areas and in summer it is popular with children swimming and playing in the park. However on the south side of these water areas is a long pathway with where dogs are allowed to run off leash all year. These pathways are mostly a simple pathway through a park, but there are some open grassy areas and trees alongside the pathways which makes it pleasant to walk and sniff. The lack of shade in summer is compensated by the enormous number of swimming opportunities.

The off leash paths start at Het Maalwater and running pretty much parallel to De Omloop up to the Zeeweg. You can either walk back the way you came and stay off leash which makes the distance you walk more flexible – you can simply turn around and go back if you are short on time – or cross over to the north side of the water and walk your leashed pup back to wherever you started from, but do note, you may encounter the odd sheep in fields very close to the pathways.

You can park for free at the open air swimming pool Het Baafje, or if you want to make it a longer walk, then park at the Wandlestartpunt Nijenburg just off Stetlaan, then walk along Belieslaan until you reach Het Maalwater. If you feel so inclined, once you have done the water round then you can continue into Heilooërbos by walking on past the Stetlaan parking area and really tire your dog out!

The handy thing about this area is not just the fantastic water scenery but the pathways are mostly maintained or even paved, so in winter when everywhere else is too muddy to enjoy, then this is still a good option.

In contrast to the limits in dog numbers per person in Heilooërbos, you can walk here with more than 3 dogs and this is therefore also a choice for dog walkers, but the pathways mostly have grass areas to the side so it is easy enough to make a little deviation if necessary.

Pros:

Beautiful watery area, perfect for hot days
Firm, non-muddy pathways
Good spot also for a short walk if you don’t have time

Cons:

Not much shade for people

Location:

Het Maalwater, Heiloo, Netherlands

Dunes, Egmond aan Zee

Egmond aan Zee is, like most of the beaches in the Netherlands, closed to dogs during the daytime in the summer months. However, you can still snap a little sea air in a section of the dunes adjacent to the beach.

The Dunes at Egmond aan Zee is surprisingly large, simply walking the perimeter will take you a good 45 minutes if you follow the fence line. Dogs are not allowed in the entire dunes area, the boundaries are marked with a regular wire fence, and where there are pathways that go outside this area, there are information boards showing you that’s as far as your dog goes. But this area is large enough for a decent stroll, if you zig-zag over the dunes in the middle you can easily add another half an hour to the perimeter tour. The parking nearby suggests this area is popular but I rarely see more than three or four other dogs being walked right into the dunes.

There are a number of garden allotments in the area, you can walk past them off leash but do keep your dog out of them, they are private grounds.

This is a true dune area, there are some plants and shrubs (including some heavenly scented rose shrubs) but only one small section with trees to speak of and very little shade. There is no really clean flowing water but a few large ditches fill up with water when it has rained enough and these can get a bit greasy looking after a while, so take some drinking water with you if it is hot.

The good thing about this area is, when it rains (and even if it rains for a whole month), because it’s predominantly a sandy ground it doesn’t get too boggy. Even if some of the allotments tend to get totally flooded, the surrounding ground drains pretty well.

The only poop bins are on the neighbouring streets rather than in the dunes directly. One is right on the corner of the dunes where the Boulevard meets Doctor Wiardi Beckmanlaan, the second is at the parking just off Doctor Wiardi Beckmanlaan close to Zwartendijk, and the third is at the end of a little pathway halfway around the dunes – there is a high open area with a seat on it, just to the side of this is a small pathway, and about 20m down is a poop bin/poop bag dispenser.

There are two parking areas, either directly on the Boulevard itself and walk into the dunes at the corner, or along the pathway at the side of the beach. I tend to park on the other side of the dunes in Doctor Wiardi Beckmanlaan, it often has spaces in summer even if the entire Boulevard is fully parked. There are parking fees in all areas in the summer months, but outside the summer period during the week, unless there is a special holiday or event, parking is usually free.

Pros:

Beach feeling in summer when the beach is closed to dogs
Not very busy, even in peak season
Wide open spaces to run or train in

Cons:

No clean water
Poop bins are few and far

Location:

Dr Wiardi Beckmanlaan, Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands

Meester Enschedepark, Aerdenhout

Meester Enschedepark is a little hideaway on the road from Haarlem towards the dunes in Zandvoort, and is a section made available to the public at the bottom of the larger conservation area. This little park makes up for it’s lack of size by throwing you a tiny maze of pathways, all beautifully overgrown with natural ground, perfect for keeping your pups nose busy. Although it is essentially 3 loops combined, you have a feeling that it is larger than it actually is. In total you can expect to walk for about half an hour before all paths have been trodden at least once.

It is lovely and shaded but there is no watering hole, although for such a small area that will only be an issue on super hot days. There is also a small horse path and a couple of cycle paths weaving through the park.

During a lunchtime walk on a weekday, I think I met about 4 other dogs in total, and it’s easy to avoid them if your pup is not feeling playful today. However if he is feeling playful, there is a little sandy open area that is totally dug over from pups having a play date, not to mention other little open areas on the way that are big enough to play chase.

The park is situated directly next to the road and it is not fenced off and some of the paths that look like they are part of a loop actually end directly on the main road, keep your pup in view if he is prone to scooting off after squirrels.

Parking is limited, there are a couple of little bays on the side of the road big enough for about 3 or 4 cars each on Bentveldsweg and Meester H. Enschedeweg, where the largest park entrances are. The smaller entrances have no parking on them. I go by bakfiets.

It is one of those useful spots you need on your list where you can quickly take your pup out if you have no time or the weather is terrible.

Oh and look out for the fake tree…

Pros:

Not to busy for such a small and local area
Very natural landscape, feels bigger than it is
Shaded for hot weather

Cons:

Small area
Limited parking
No water

Location:

Het Naaldenveld, Bentveld

This is a small area with a single pathway through the middle (there and back), which seems to be a bit of a walk-through for the local walkers and cyclists, but with a little creative zig-zagging it can be stretched out to a decent foraging walk if you go off the track a little. Being a very local forest in a built up area, it’s busy with both dog walkers, runners and kids. You will not be alone!

A few of the tracks we tried out ended up with a fence so we had to turn back, but we did manage to find a bit of a wandering path away from the main stretch that made the walk more interesting. Be prepared to clamber over blackberry bushes and thorny shrubs!

It’s all very overgrown away from the main path which makes it an excellent spot to practice hiding treat-filled dummies and sending your dog off on a search. The density of the trees makes for decent rain cover.

It is a very basic forest area, there is no water but plenty of shade for summer. Don’t expect an amazing vista or hike, this is a place where I would choose to do a search training, a snuffle walk or a quick round in the rain. These little spots are just as useful as the 2 hour hiking routes for just those reasons!

There is a parking spot just in front of the entrance to the forest area.

Pros:

Quick and easy round
Good for scent training or snuffle walks
Wild and unkept pathways is a treat to sniff in

Cons:

Small area
Paths away from the main route are not easy to see and some have dead-ends
Can be a little busy

Locaton:

Naaldenveldweg

Hulkensteijnsebos, Zeewolde

Hulkensteijnsebos is about a 25 minute drive from Almere, or 15 minutes from Zeewolde. It is a huge walking area with at least 2 off leash spots along the Slingerweg, which runs around the area.

The first thing we did was park near the camping/glamping site De Parel where an app told us we could start an off leash tour. However it led us into a field and a cafe, where the owner came out and informed us that the tour we were looking for was no longer there. Good start…

It seems there are only about 2 or 3 official entrances to the walking area, so as instructed by the cafe owner, we drove back up the road and found a small parking spot next to a bridge with a gate into the forest. It wasn’t so easy to find (none of the parking is signposted), you have to park up where you see a gate and check for the orange sign on the other side. There was no information at all regarding dogs on this board, so we made the decision for ourselves. There is apparently an official off leash area, I am not 100% sure if this was it, if anyone knows better then let me know!

This is not one of your tidy, easy to follow parks. Behind the gate there is a battered concrete pathway which simply takes you down a straight path to a road at the other end. Anything else off the concrete path and into the woody areas is not well walked, and in some spots it is a bit of a guessing game to know whether you really are on a pathway, but that just made it a very interesting sniffing ground for our four-legged companion!

We did not manage to find a circular route, at the end of one of the paths we came across a canal with no obvious way to continue. All in all we walked around the area for about an hour, but I am sure there are lots of other pathways you can take to extend this if you want to.

We went in August which should have been a busy time of year, but we didn’t see another soul in this area, neither dogs or people, making it very relaxed to wander around in.

There are no natural watering holes, so you do need to carry water for your pup if it is hot. But there is a lot of shade, so it was relatively cool when the rest of the country was blistering in the heat.

There are no bins anywhere for depositing rubbish or poop bags, you either carry poop back with you in the car, or – shudder – leave it where it was dropped.

In general, I found this a nice enough spot to walk around because I was in the area, but I would not make a special trip to go there.

Pros:

Wild environment, keeps little noses busy
Unpopular area, excellent if you just want a quiet walk
Shaded and cool for hot days

Cons:

Unclear where the dog areas and paths really are
No water spots
Not a very interesting place to walk for people

Location:

Slingerweg

Blinkertpad, Haarlem

This is not an official spot, but on the corner of the Houtmanpad and Westerlikje Randweg, is a field that is pretty much surrounded by canals, making it quite a safe spot to play in. The Blinkertpad is the pathway that runs from De Beartrixschool down the middle of the two parts of the field, and stops short by the canal. Literally a road to nowhere!

You can park in Abel Tasmankade and walk over the little bridge by the Kinderopvang onto the Houtmanpad. Follow this path underneath the Randweg to the field. It will take just 15 minutes or so to walk around the whole field, so this is not a long walk, but I often use it as part of a leash-walk day and plan this field in my walk for a little energy release.

You can stick to the path, or walk alongside the canal at the end near the main road, and then follow the field all the way round at the edge until you meet the path again. Its a little route that is full of sniffing opportunities and some clean-ish canal water access, but it can get boggy after rainfall.

If you want to extend your walk, at the other end of the field by De Beartrixschool is another exit, walk past the school and turn left to walk towards Duinvliet and make a big round trip, or turn right to Brouwerskolkpark to make an even bigger round trip!

The Houtmanpad is an official losloopgebied but is shared by cycles, and as it goes past a school and two kinderopvangs (kindergarden), so it is also populated by little people not noticing off leash pups until they trip over them, or worse – wanting to stroke them! Hold onto your pup as you walk past the Beatrixschool – either it gets busy outside the gates when kids are being picked up, or the gates are simply left open…

I understand this field is actually private land and the owner simply allows dog owners to use the space, so do be respectful and be sure to clean up after your pup, even if the grass is sometimes long. There are poop bins close to the school or along the Houtmanpad.

Pros:

Excellent if you are short on time but want your pup to burn some energy
Can easily hook up to other walking spots to extend your walk

Cons:

Houtmanpad can be busy with cycles
The field gets very, very wet and soggy if there has been enough rain

Where is it?

Houtmanpad

Wethouder van Gelukpark (“Bokkedoorns”)

Everyone calls this walk the Bokkedoorns but that is actually the name of the restaurant on the edge of the park. This spot has the cleanest, freshest water and is perfect for hot summer days. The walk goes around the edge of two lakes that partially join in the middle. The path surrounding the water deviates a little in some areas, going off into a small forest area, and into a small dune section and can extend your walk and make it a little more interesting. It is a short walk and I usually go round twice, deviating once through the trees and the second time through the mini-dune section. It is fenced/walled off with an electric fence so you cannot get further into the dunes from here.

This water here is so fresh that you will often find people bathing in it! It is usually pretty quiet, you may meet 2 or 3 other dogs on your walk, maybe a couple more if it the weather is very warm. The forest spot is shaded and cool, with wide paths and is pretty quiet – most people stick to the main lakeside path so the forest paths are good if you want to avoid people.

Quite often you will find walkers from people who have just had dinner at the restaurant – they will be nicely dressed and not impressed if your wet dog gets anywhere near them. Please be courteous; don’t provide any ammunition to give dog owners a bad reputation!

Pros:

Quiet with only a few other dog walkers
Very clean water
Perfect for a quick walk

Cons:

You do need to be on your guard all the time and rein in your pup if he looks like he will behave inappropriately to after-dinner walkers
Leash-only walks since March 2020

Location:

Zeeweg

Schoteroog, Waarderpolder (Spaarnwoude Park)

Another one of those places that you can make your walk as long or as short as you like. Schoteroog used to be a landfill that got cleaned up and turned into a park and is popular with sunbathers and picnickers. Every now and then there are children events near the water but you can walk the upper path and avoid them if you want to. Right alongside the Mooie Nel lake which links up with the Spaarne, it is also a bit of a boating paradise.

The park has a range of paths that run through the open, rolling fields, and one bike path along the side of the lake. It also has a footpath connection with Verplas which also forms part of the Windmill Route. As you reach the end of the park furthest away from the Marina, you can turn left and simply follow the path past the horse stables, cross the road at the windmill and carry on along the canal to the Verplas carpark (only open to dogs October-April). I usually stop at the windmill and then turn back, which gives me a good hour walk in total. Schoteroog park can get a little busy with sunbathers – particularly at the weekend but the path between Schoteroog and Verplas is hardly ever frequented and is a real scent bonanza for pups!

The park is not fenced but there is only one side really that is not contained by water or some kind of physical barrier, and if you keep to the open fields it’s fairly safe if you have a young pup still learning to keep close.

Parking spots are at the side of the road near one of the stairways that bring you to the upper part of the park, or a large car park by the marina close to the (dog friendly) Proef restaurant.

Pros:

Wide open fields to run and keep watch on your pup
Some quiet spots where you can train
Not overly busy with dog walkers and easy to avoid others if you want to

Cons:

Horse paths can leave unexpected treats
Can get some ripe air near the water purification centre, or near the horse stables but it’s short lived
Can get pretty windy up there!

Location:

Schoteroog

Haarlemmerhout, Haarlem

In the heart of the city this oasis is separated into a park for people and children, and a more natural dog walking area. There are entrances to the park from several sides which immediately take you into a safe, off-leash area. Plenty of paths crossing each other give you the chance of walking for about 45 minutes without having to use the same path twice! If you see a petting zoo, cut grass and a tea house, you are on the wrong side of the road.

The park is shared with cyclists and lunchtime workers. You can keep off the main cycle path fairly easily, just crossing it once or twice. If you have a very opportunistic dog (as we do!) then you may need to look out for people sitting on benches and eating sandwiches. There are some smaller tracks, some larger ones and a play area.

Note, there are absolutely no water-holes here, if it is hot then be sure to bring a bottle of water for your pup.

Pros:

In the middle of Haarlem, easy to get to by bus, bike or foot
Usually lots of other dogs to play with

Cons:

Busy cycle path through the middle of the park
Lunchtime temptations on benches at mouth level!
No water

Location:

The off leash area is between Wagenweg and Fonteinlaan only, the other side of the Fonteinlaan is a leash-only area.

Duinvliet, Haarlem

Duinvliet offers everything you want for a quick dog walk in a compact area: a couple of nice circular forest walks that you can stretch to 15-20 minutes each, a huge grassy field for playing and socialising, and it is surrounded by small, mostly clean canals for a quick drink or a refreshing swim.