Solange

The house has a good WiFi connection, so you can work undisturbed! In addition to the usual TV channels, there are also some movie channels to watch - Film premiere, action, family and drama. There is underfloor heating on the ground floor, so you can enjoy an evenly heated home all year round. In addition to underfloor heating, the shower room also has a towel radiator. Instructions for use are available for all equipment. We regularly invest in the house - the bedroom recently got a new wardrobe and mattress, the living room a new sitting area and coffee table. There is a nice BBQ ready for use. Of course, in dry periods, its use is not allowed in this wooded area. Child-friendliness and safety: our house has a protection on the low sockets. The stairs to the upper floor are an open staircase, with a handrail - but no security in the form of a stair gate. Furthermore, there are no facilities for very small children. There is a fire extinguisher and fire blanket, as well as a smoke and carbon monoxide detector. There is no possibility to rent linen / bedding at the park. You can bring your own sheets, duvet covers, hand and tea towels! The most necessary consumables are available in the house. Feel free to use this, but please complete it for the guests who come after you! The garden surrounding the house is integrated into the forest. There are pine, beech, oak and of course rhododendrons. The road through the park is a dirt road: so with some bumps. This gives the park a natural look, but makes cycling a 'challenge', unless you have an electric bicycle of course. You can charge the e-bikes in the shed, where you can also safely store the bikes.

Want to enjoy some time in the woods? When booking two consecutive weeks in the period July / August you will get a discount of € 75. In the other months € 50 discount.

The house is located between the trees in the middle of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. The forest makes the house to stay cool during hot periods. Finding a place to enjoy the sunbeams is always possible.
The reception of the park is at about 1 km from the holiday house. To the center of the villages Doorn and Leersum it is about 3 km. In those place you can do your daily shopping.

You can put your car in the driveway before the house; you receive an access key for a car at arrival. At the reception you can purchase coins for an extra car.

Several hiking trails, marked with different colors, are found in the vicinity. Also available are many cycling and mountain biking trails.
Bikes can be rented at the reception of the park.

Nature inspires…. also in 2019! The photo of the nest box was taken at an important moment: on May 20, 2011 at 13:33 hrs. A minute later, this brave blue tit left its safe nest. Just read Solange's guestbook: many guests have been touched by the forests, the animals and all the plants, which you are surrounded by when you stay in Solange. We regularly experience ourselves that nature inspires and makes you happy - just take a look at the photos of the wood mouse, which appreciates the birdhouse! We hereby invite you to share your moments of inspiration with us. This can be through a beautiful photo or video, made during your visit to Solange, a piece of text (in the guestbook in the house), poem, drawing, or creative expression. Everything is possible and everything is allowed. We like to place the best experience on the home page of our home and reward us with a voucher of € 30. At the end of the season we announce who was able to capture the most beautiful inspirational moment of that year. The voucher for the nature moment in 2009 was won by Elise, who observed the flight of three blue tits from the nest box and described this in our guest book in the house. In 2010, Henk Lolkema was especially inspired by the pure forest air and tranquility around the house, as witnessed by his beautiful pen drawing in the guestbook in the house. Congratulations, Hank! In 2011, the voucher was won by Lotte and Boaz, who found a friend at the campsite in the summer, ate pancakes and went to the swimming pool. There are beautiful stories and drawings in the guestbook! Thank you Lotte and Boaz and have fun with your toy voucher. In 2012, again 2 special events were noted in the guestbook: Thijs Middendorp witnessed a back flip of a squirrel and the Baljet family appreciated the peaceful environment, even during the (unexpected for us) pruning week. In 2013, the sporty Jolink family came to Solange by bicycle. The picnic table was transformed into a table with all kinds of finds from the forest. Blueberry jam was made and an exciting evening walk through the forest. A creative contribution in the guestbook shows how great their holiday has been. They are therefore the winners of the VVV voucher of 2013. In June 2014, Saakje and Thomas Zijlstra finally gave the well-deserved attention to our forest garden residents during their stay in the 'fairytale forest house'. The cheerful boy has completely blossomed from all that attention and Saakje and Thomas can look for a good use of the book voucher. In the summer of 2015, Marije, Wybren and Jelte Dijkstra were active: climbed the Dom, the Pyramid of Austerlitz, saw the elephant in the Amersfoort zoo and visited the university museum. When you see their drawing, you immediately want to visit all of this yourself. It was also a special weekend for Jens and Phia Roos at the end of November: when they stayed in Solange during the Sinterklaas season. Piet provided a surprise and they also met Sinterklaas in Doorn. And also: having breakfast together at the dining table while the tits are also busy with their breakfast. Marije, Wybren, Jelte, Jens and Phia: you all won in 2015! Marijn Souren, as a talented young photographer, has sent us several beautiful photos, including of the bird watering hole and this treecreeper. He has won the gift card for the years 2017 and 2018. In June 2019, Marijke and Piet 'fooled their eyes' in the Kaapse Bossen and Solange, a hidden gem, became 'their own 'little castle' for a week. Thank you Marijke and Piet for this beautiful poem. In the summer of 2021, Lieke and Sem shared the inspiration prize. Lieke has given the word 'food bank' a new meaning: she has prepared pinecones for the squirrels around Solange. And Sem has - together with his grandfather - carried out a real 'mushroom project' around Solange.

The park has many facilities:
a reception area, snack bar and cozy restaurant with a lovely terrace. The snack bar and restaurant are open daily during the summer; outside the holidays they are open only during weekends.
Fresh bread and newspapers are available daily.
There is an outdoor pool for swimming. For the younger children a separate bathing place is available. You'll also find a tennis court (a fee is asked), a playground and trampoline for children.
There is the possibility of bicycle rent: early reservation at the reception of the park is necessary to be sure to find a bike.
Occasionally activities for both youth and adults are organized at the park.

Park De Bonte Vlucht houses about 200 private homes, chalets and mobile homes. In the summer also touring caravans and tents can be placed.

De Bonte Vlucht is easily accessible by car. The house is located 1 km from the reception in the park / forest.
De Bonte Vlucht can also be reached by public bus. From the nearest bus stop to the reception it takes a walk of about 10 minutes.
Train stations Driebergen-Zeist and Maarn are located respectively at 10 and 6 km from the park. The public bus to the park can be taken at the village Driebergen-Zeist.

Doorn is beautifully situated in the nature - forest, but also the river area and the Betuwe is very close. Enjoy the fruit blossom in the spring. Fun and interesting trips are always organized in the vicinity of Doorn. Here are a few nice (often free) tips. In 2022 these include * Bees and Nature Market in Doorn * Old Craft Market in Soest: Thursday May 26 * For the sports enthusiasts among us, the Heuvelrugloop will be organized on Saturday June 18, * June 25 and 26 Kersenfestival, Cothen (Highly recommended!!) Delicious dishes with cherries, cherry pit spitting lane, cozy market, cherry juice, tour through the orchard and especially eating lots of cherries! What is special is that a number of orchards are kept outlawed in a special way - see attached photos. * Open Garden Days : 3 July and 4 September and 16 June * Sheep Market, Langbroek - Saturday 2 July * Historical festival in Doorn : 9 and 10 July * 13 and 14 August : Flower Parade Leersum * Sunday 21 August: Castle Tour Doorn * Hiking Heuvelrug Two Days Doorn , 10 and 11 September * Bos Fair Doornse Gat: Saturday 11 June and 3 September * Open Monument Day: 10 September * Lekko Days in Wijk bij Duurstede: historic ships are in the harbor Kunstmarkt Wijk bij Duurstede 23 to 25 September * Devil's trail Heuvelrug: tough running race from the Doornse Gat on Sunday 2 October. * It is recommended to view the site of the Beaufort House near Austerlitz: they offer a very varied range of activities. For example, they organize the Animal Friends Path. * For the little ones, the Kabouterpad on the Leersumse Veld is a fun activity at the weekend (see website Staatsbosbeheer) In our house we have collected many information brochures of fun trips. Tourist offices and tourist information shops can be found in Doorn, Leersum, Maarn, Zeist, Wijk bij Duurstede and Rhenen.

De Utrechtse Heuvelrug is a beautiful area, where many walking and cycling routes are found.
The area was created during the last glacial period. Thereafter primeval forests has been formed. Through the combined efforts of man these forests did not exist anymore around 1800. Then reforestation projects started.
The National Park has a number of green entrances into the area. At these locations you can get information on the area and you can immediately start walking or cycling.
The main entrances are at railway station Driebergen-Zeistway (in Cafe La Porte) and at Kwintelooyen (nearby Veenendaal).
The green entrances are found along the main road N225 between Driebergen and Rhenen (eg Green Entrance Kaapse Bossen, Doornse Gat, Hoogstraat, Amerongen and Plantage Willem III). Another green entrance is found in Maarn, south of the main road A12 at the exit Maarn (nearby estate Stameren).

Het Leersumse Veld (into the direction of Leersum) and the Kaapse Bossen (direction Doorn) are nearby: only a few kilometers from Solange.

Fauna
The largest mammal on the Utrechtse Heuvelrug is the deer, the largest predator the fox. Animals you will not see often are the badger, the squirrel living in the treetops, and rare pine martens.
Other mustelids found are: the polecat, the weasel and the ermine. The viviparous lizard and sand lizard are quite common in the National Park. They live on the moors and in sandy areas. The slow worm is found in the entire area.
The moor frog can only be found on the Leersumse Veld and rarely at other places of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug. In lakes and ponds the large and small newt are found.
In and along the marshes of the Leersumse Veld the black-necked grebe, the little grebe, the bluethroat, yellowhammer and teal breed. From March to August the heather areas around the ponds (marshes) can not be reached, but from the blind you will be able to watch the birds.

Closer to home you can also see birds: sitting in the dining area you have an excellent view on the dining area of our birds. Do you recognize the nuthatch, robin, blue tit, great tit and the great spotted woodpecker?

Flora
Large-scale reforestation activities(around 1900) with Scots pines took place; the trees were logged for mining / construction wood. Also large avenues of beech and oak were planted. Later on in many places fast growing Douglas fir and larch has been planted. Spontaneous growth of birch, oak and beech resulted gradually into mixed forests. In the herb layer of forests you find blueberries and sorrel. In the older and wetter forests we find false lilly and cow wheat; in some forested hills also grows wood anemone.

In the National Park we find besides the forests heath lands, moors and sand drifts. Besides heather and heath we also find in these open areas small dodder, broom, prickly gorse, marsh gentian, sun dew, bog rush, sphagnum peat and lint. On the shifting sands bunt grass is, sand sedge, Morison's spurry and different types of lichens.