Nederland - Nieuw Milligen, Kootwijkerveen

Unlike the name suggests, the Kootwijkerveen is not located near Kootijk, but somewhere hidden in the woods between the hamlets of Nieuw Milligen and Assel. It is a nature reserve that is unusual for the Netherlands: a peat lake surrounded on all sides by wooded shifting sand hills.

The Kootwijkerveen has a long history that goes back to the Ice Age. It was originally a marshland area on the western slope of the Veluwe. Because of an impermeable layer, the water remains there and creates ideal conditions for the formation of moor peat.

Peat was extracted here up until the Second World War. Later, pasture land was created. In the 1970s, the Dutch government organisation for forestry and the management of nature reserves (Staatsbosbeheer), began restoration work. The result is a beautiful lake at 40 metres above sea level: a wet oasis in the middle of dry sandy soil; created by ice ages, peat cutters and nature managers.

The Kootwijkerveen can be visited along a signposted walking route, which starts at a car park near Nieuw Milligen.