Hakenberg walk from Beuningen

Although every season has its charm, spring is perhaps the most beautiful time of year to get out and explore. The sun is shining today—an ideal day for a lovely walk.

Put on your walking shoes and go!

The starting point is Streekrestaurant ‘t Sterrebos in Beuningen, a village in the municipality of Losser.

After crossing the main road, the route continues briefly along the Oude Dijk towards the bridge over the Dinkel. From there, turn right onto a narrow path along the winding riverbank of the Dinkel. Although we have walked here before, a small wooden box by the water only now catches our eye. It turns out to be part of an educational nature trail, a fun and educational walk with assignments for children. Inside the box is a xylophone with the lyrics and musical notes of the Twents folk song “Er ligt tussen Dinkel en Regge een land ….” We walkers are not particularly musical, so we leave the performance to the children.

A little further on lies the Maurits Bridge over the Dinkel, a historic site because during the Eighty Years’ War, Prince Maurits attempted to cross the Dinkel here with his troops. The cannon by the bridge serves as a reminder of this. There is also a resting bench at this idyllic spot, but we have only just started our walk.

At the junction with the Paandersdijk stands a thick, centuries-old oak tree. A recent newspaper article was dedicated to it: the tree has become a daily walking destination for a small group of residents from the nearby care farm, who go for a walk every day, rain or shine. A beautiful spot with wide views, perfect for a short rest.

On the Achtermaatsweg, we pause in front of a meadow and enjoy hundreds of sheep with many newborn lambs jumping around. A farmer—possibly the owner—leans on a fence, keeping an eye on the scene.

At the edge of the Hakenberg nature area stands the Pipokeet, a cosy rest stop for coffee, tea, soft drinks, or an ice cream. The hut is unattended, and payment is made via a cash box—a matter of trust!

Hakenberg

A beautiful winding path follows here, lined with wood anemones in the Hakenberg nature area. The wood anemones are blooming abundantly this spring and form a carpet of thousands of small white stars in places. Many more wild flowers and plants are displaying their most beautiful colours. Spring is in full bloom.

At walking network post K96, the route turns left. However, it is worth continuing straight for a short stretch, which we do, and soon we reach the highest point of the Hakenberg. Here stands a chalet-style black wooden villa, transported as a building kit by train from Austria and assembled in 1927 by textile manufacturer Blijdenstein. Around the villa lies a landscaped park. Part of it unfortunately looks less “green” at the moment, as it appears to have been recently ploughed. Along the forest edge on the right, roe deer can often be spotted, but today they do not show themselves. It is midday, after all; early morning or dusk would offer a better chance of seeing them.

Back at post K96, the route continues left. Here, broom is in full bloom. The wild lilac is also a striking feature and, as a bonus, smells wonderful. After passing the white gate, it is time for the packed lunch—walking makes you hungry!

On the rest bench, carved texts in the backrest use Twents humour to remind visitors not to leave litter in nature. Next to the bench stands a small group of trees, and if you look closely, you can see that four trees have grown into one another. Although we have been here before, we had never noticed this—it is quite amusing. It shows how every walk brings new discoveries.

Two large birds of prey circle high in the clear blue sky for a while. As we scan the air, we think they are buzzards, although they could also belong to another bird of prey species.

At the foot of the Hakenberg lies a beautiful pond with a drainage channel. We continue our route, emerging on the left side of the estate and climbing again. On the right in the park stands an always-photogenic red beech.

Austieberg

A little further on, we walk along a small path between two meadows filled with blooming dandelions, heading towards a farm; here the path continues a bit further along the farmyard. After a short stretch of paved road, we approach the Austieberg. This is not really a mountain, but a hill of 55 metres. A group of curious cows at the foot of the “mountain” completes the springtime scene.

At the corner of the Paandersdijk and Schoolweg, we pass a small Marian chapel, which can be reached via a small bridge between several oak trees. This chapel even featured in the Twents soap series Jonge Leu en Oale Groond.

The village of Beuningen comes into view, meaning the end of the walk is unfortunately already near. After walking through a residential area and making a “round around the church”, we arrive back at the starting/ending point.

In the sunshine, it is still a moment to relax and look back on the walk on the terrace of Streekrestaurant Sterrebos.

This walk definitely deserves a place on your list of routes still to be explored. The varied trail along country roads through the rolling Twente landscape, with its wide-open views, is available at Tourist Info in De Lutte and Streekrestaurant ‘t Sterrebos.