Name of N70
The nature walk N70 is a walk through the villages of Beek, Ubbergen and Berg and Dal near Nijmegen. It sounds like a highway (that’s what I thought of when I first read about it) but the N70 refers to the year 1970 when the European Council proclaimed it as a conservation year, and thus the year this walking route was set out. The N stands for “Nijmegen Committee”. It is a gorgeous walk and today I want to share 5 tips for the N70 walk with your kids.
Length
The complete route is 14,2 kilometers and passes over 8 hills through the gorgeous forests of Berg and Dal and surroundings. The duration is about 3 hours and 30 minutes. (But some people might take a bit longer depending on how fast you walk or how many breaks you take of course) However, you do not have to walk the full 14,2 kilometres, but you can start at different places and you can make it as short as you want.
Why choose the N70?
As I was doing some research about the most beautiful walking routes in the Netherlands, this one kept popping up.
I read that the N70 is one of the most beautiful walking routes in the Netherlands.
Because it’s such a popular route it can get crowded with many walkers. We actually did pop into people for the whole duration but still mostly we were walking alone. It wasn’t a negative experience to us.
What makes the N70 stand out is its diversity in starting locations (you can start at many different places), diversity in distance (you don’t have to walk the whole 14,2 but can make adjust it) and it passes over 8 hills through delightful forest and landscape. One part in the east is right next to the German border and our phones all gave us a message of the German time zone which one of my kids thought was so cool (as if we arrived in Germany).
This past Fall vacation we drove to the starting point in Beek to enjoy some beautiful foliage and Fall surroundings. We parked in front of the Hotel-Restaurant ‘t Spijker, near this church (on the photo) and from here we followed the green posts that direct you to the N70.
Okay now that you know more about what the N70 is, let’s go over to the 5 tips for the N70 Fall walk with your kids.
Tip 1: Go to the restroom before beginning your walk
We drove an hour and a half to get to Beek-Ubbergen. We thought we could easily find a restroom during the walk. When we finally did, restaurant tante Koosje was closed, the gasstation’s restroom was also closed… so there you have it. If you are coming from further away make sure to let everyone use the restroom.
Tip 2: Bring enough water and snacks
Although there are restaurants, you should make sure to bring enough water and snacks and especially when hiking with kids. Of course we did bring enough, but some kids might have eaten some of that during the car drive… (LOL) Like I said before, restaurant tante Koosje doesn’t open until 5 o’clock in the evening (except the weekends) and we did’t see any other restaurant until we arrived at the pancake restaurant. We eventually arrived at De Duivelsberg Pannekoeken and were so happy to be able to sit and relax and enjoy something nice to eat and drink.
Tip 3: Walk light
Don’t bring too much stuff because you are walking for quit some time. The day that we went walking was in full swing Fall but it was an exceptional warm day and we all ended up taking clothes and jackets off and stuffing that in the bags. Even a light bag eventually starts feeling heavier after some hours, so walk light.
Tip 4: Use GPS and not only the green tags on the post
This would be my number 1 tip. We followed the green tags, and in the beginning that was just fine. But somehow, somewhere along the way we must of taken some wrong turns because we walked for 3 hours before reaching the pancake restaurant, and that was not 14 km! Sometimes it gets confusing which one you have to follow, so definitely use your phone and gps to follow the route. (Or maybe it’s just us, LOL) When we finished eating our pancakes we used our phones and were back in 25 minutes, what a difference!
Tip 5: Enjoy the scenery
It’s not for nothing that many people call this one of the most beautiful walks in The Netherlands. The N70 route is definitely a stunning route to walk. It’s pretty popular for a reason. It’s diverse, you walk through forest with tall trees with grounds covered in yellows and oranges or climb hills with lovely views over the surrounding villages. You get to experience the changing of the season to the max. Even though we walked way longer than we should have, we all enjoyed the route and have a great day. I’m ready for winter now that my senses have experienced a lot of Autumn. Here are some photos of our walk.
If you want to know more about this route you can check out the next websites, some are in Dutch but at least you can see some extra photos and you can download the route. Alltrails, Frankwandelt (great photos), Staatsbosbeheer, Visit Nijmegen, and a route from the VVV (check it out on the external link on this page).
If you enjoyed reading this article then leave a comment and let me know, I would love that! If you want to read about more other lovely Fall walks in The Netherlands, then check out this post or this post. Until next time!
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