After walking around exploring the Utrechtste Heuvelrug and the Pyramid of Austerlitz, the week after it was time for a new day walk. On Instagram, I read about a former military airport in the province of Utrecht that is now open to the wider public. It made me think of Tempelhof in Berlin – a place I absolutely love – so it was time to go and explore! Hopefully, this article inspires you to discover more of Utrecht and visit the Soesterduinen and Vliegbasis Soesterberg (Flight base), during a day walk.
This time, we didn’t follow a set route. We took the train to Soest-Zuid trainstation and from there we followed the “Kastanjelaan” to enter the nature reserve Soesterduinen. Officially, the place is called Lange Duinen, however I feel most people in the Netherlands are actually referring to it as the Soesterduinen. After enjoying the wide landscapes, we used Google Maps to navigate towards Vliegbasis Soesterberg. We entered the airstrip for a walk after which we walked back – again also passing by the Soesterduinen towards Soest-Zuid. In total, we walked about 15 kilometers, which was perfect for a day walk in autumn. In case you prefer to follow a route, the NS has a walk available that shows you the Lange Duinen – however a visit to the Vliegbasis is not inlcuded.
The first stop was the beautiful nature reserve “Lange Duinen”, often referred to as Soesterduinen. A huge sand drift in the middle of the country and a great place to visit, walk around, kite and enjoy a picknick. The dunes themselves are surrounded by forrest, which is also perfectly suitable to continue and extend your day walk.
The second part of the walk was focussed on visiting Vliegbasis Soesterberg, a former military flight base. Right now, you can visit the Military Museum (we couldn’t as it was closed due to COVID-19) and you can enter the airstrip to walk, run, bike or whatever you like. The airstrip is 3 kilometers long. Next to the strip, there are a couple of shelters that are still open for for example cultural activities.
Visiting the Soesterduinen (Lange Duinen) and Vliegbasis Soesterberg can be easily combined in a nice day walk. Visiting two unique locations in the Netherlands on one day and it definitely shows the beauty and diversity of the country. Looking for more? Definitely check out the guide on walking the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and visiting the Pyramid of Austerlitz – another unique place in the Netherlands.
