Cycling to the purple heather fields

The tulip fields of the Netherlands are well-known, but apart from the blooming bulb flowers in spring, we also have blooming flower fields at the end of summer. Most years, between mid-August and mid-September (depending on how wet/sunny and warm the summer was), the heather fields in the Netherlands turn a bright purple!

It may seem quiet on the heath in De Kampina Nature Reserve, but it was in fact quite busy.

The purple flowers of the heather plants generally appear between mid-August and mid-September in the Netherlands.

These heather fields are scattered across the entire country. I have shown you fields southeast of Amsterdam (near Hilversum) and between Tilburg and ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Loonse & Drunense Duinen). According to travel websites, the heather fields on the Veluwe are the most beautiful. You can even order photo wall paper depicting those fields in bloom at sunrise. But the Veluwe is quite a long way from where I live. That is why I decided to cycle to “De Kampina,” a smaller nature reserve right in the middle between three major cities in the province of Brabant: Eindhoven, Tilburg, and my hometown of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

Nature Reserve De Kampina is located between the three major cities in the Province of North-Brabant. From the markets in those cities the cycling distance is respectively: Eindhoven 26.3km, Tilburg 13.6km and ‘s-Hertogenbosch 17.2km.

Most of the recreational paths in the area have a surface of gravel and aren’t too wide. They are purely for recreation.

It took less than an hour of cycling before the woods turned into open fields full of blooming heather plants that appeared bright purple under the sun. Apparently, the early morning or the evening golden hour is the best time of day to see the heather in bloom, but I was very happy with how the fields looked in the afternoon too. Of course, in this tiny country with nearly 18 million people, who own 25 million bicycles, you are never alone. In fact, it was quite busy in the nature reserve, but it was a very pleasant experience, nonetheless!

Many people stopped and parked their bicycles to admire the heather and to take pictures.

I did not see a bench that was unoccupied for very long. This spot at a lake was very much in demand. The moment people got up, others rushed to the bench to take their place.

Cycling through the blooming heather fields in the Netherlands