The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Pannenhoef

Nice place for a picnic, there are enough benches.

In April/May the many rhododendrons along the path are in bloom. A beautiful sight!

A bridge provides a connection between two banks. Usually a bridge is over water: a ditch, a canal, moat, river, lake, ravine, ...

The Drents heideschaap is the oldest sheep breed in Western Europe, according to the Dutch Breeders' Association "het Drents Heideschaap". Migrants probably brought the breed from France to the Netherlands, where it has been present since 4000 BC, particularly in Drenthe. Characteristics of the Drents heideschaap are a slender build, a long woolly tail that can reach beyond the hocks, stiff and somewhat sleek wool, dull hair on the head and legs and a straight nose. All kinds of colours are possible, but colourful black and white animals are not recognised. The breed is divided into the old and the new type. The new type originated from crossbreeding with the Schoonebeker heideschaap and has, among other things, a more curved nose and smaller horns. Most modern Drentse heideschaap are of the new type. Flocks can be found in the Dwingelderveld National Park, with a sheepfold outside Ruinen and in Dwingeloo. On the Holtingerveld between Havelte and Uffelte, the Holtinger Sheep Flock Foundation has about 400-600 sheep of the Drents Heideschaap in a herded flock on the heath. At night, these sheep stay in the sheepfold. Drentse Heideschapen also graze on the Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park, located between Holten and Nijverdal. Several flocks with a total of 1600 sheep graze on this largest heathland in Western Europe. The shepherd uses the sheepfold located in the Twilhaar area near the Paltheweg. The Sallandse Heuvelrug Sheep Flock Foundation facilitates the buildings and maintenance of the Twilhaar enclave. Because the flocks often graze too far from the fold, they spend the night within a fence.

The establishment of the Maria Toevlucht Abbey An opportunity to establish a new monastery arose when in 1897 Miss Anna Catharina van Dongen from Zundert donated a plot of land to the abbot of Koningshoeven. The abbot at the time, Dom Willibrord Verbruggen, decided to establish a monastery on this plot. Because it was intended as a refuge for French monks, the new project was given the name ‘Maria Toevlucht’. In the autumn of 1899, two monks from Tilburg – Father Nivardus Muis and Brother Dorotheüs de Vries – left for Zundert. The tenant farmer of the farm ‘de kievit’, Bart Nouws, provided temporary shelter. They were followed by more brothers from Koningshoeven. Construction of the first monastery began, on the site where the current guest quarters now stand. On 24 May 1900, Ascension Day, the abbot of Tilburg consecrated the chapel. And with twelve monks, led by Father Nivardus Muis, Maria Toevlucht officially began to function as a monastery. Temporary shelter in the Abbey of Westmalle On 22 June 1909, the brothers received a message that they had to leave their monastery immediately. The abbot of Tilburg had gotten into such financial trouble that serious consideration was given to selling all the goods, including those of Zundert, to pay off a mortgage debt. The brothers of Maria Toevlucht left with horse and cart for the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle, where they were warmly welcomed by Abbot Ferdinand and his community. In the meantime, the higher superiors of the order were looking for a solution. They were encouraged in this by Mrs Maria Ullens de Schooten. Because if the monastery continued to exist, she would donate a large sum of money to build a church in Maria Toevlucht. Finally, an arrangement was made: Dom Willibrord van Koningshoeven resigned and was succeeded by Dom Simon Dubuisson. The brothers of Zundert could return to their monastery and thus their foundation was preserved.

Pleasant walk

The Sterrenbos is very special. It is a round forest in the shape of a cartwheel with 8 spokes. In the middle is a chapel, so that working outside and praying could still go together. It can already be recognized on a topographical map from 1899.

Originally, the dome was intended as a resting place for hunting parties. That is why the dome was also called the hunting dome. According to the stories, the former owner could see the bell of the church tower of Breda in clear weather! From this dome you have a beautiful view over the fields. If you sit in the dome and look down the long beech avenue, you can see the country house of Landgoed de Moeren at the very end.