IVN nature walk at the Hondsdonk Estate, Ulvenhout
On Sunday morning, 22 November, IVN nature guides Mark & Donge will be leading a walk across the Hondsdonk Estate.
A ‘donk’ is a sandy elevation in a marshy area. ‘Honds’ has nothing to do with dogs, but means ‘poor’ or ‘bad’. Despite the poor soil, there were people who found the courage to settle here. A farmstead must have stood here as early as 1364. Since that time, people have been working to reclaim the wasteland. Heathland was brought under cultivation. Later, barons managed the estate and built a country house in the Empire style. A baroness designed the park-like garden and the cottage-style farmhouse with its pointed-arch windows.
Anyone going for a walk on the estate now can enjoy the splendour of days gone by and the richness of nature. Nature is extremely varied on country estates such as this. There are stately avenues of beech and oak, as well as narrow, winding paths amongst tall, spreading rhododendrons. We walk through mixed woodland, as well as past fields and meadows. Due to variations in elevation and soil conditions, there are both dry and marshy areas. Two streams run through the estate and there are ponds. It is an area teeming with birdlife. The many old trees provide ample nesting opportunities for cavity-nesting birds, such as nuthatches and various species of woodpecker, as well as for bats. In November, you may still come across some beautiful mushrooms.
This area can get very wet. Please bear this in mind when choosing your footwear.
Registration is possible until the day of the walk. After registration, you will receive information about the departure point.
The walk starts at 10.00 am and lasts until around 11.30 am.
