The best dog-friendly hikes and walks in Nieuwe Heide

Wild fence and entrance to Sonseheide area

often in spring some hiking trails are inaccessible due to high groundwater, so you will have to take a detour, but that is not a problem, there are plenty of other hiking trails that allow you to continue the route

For centuries, the Sonse Heide was a vast expanse of heathland and drifting sands used by local farmers for sheep grazing and sod cutting. In the 19th and 20th centuries, much of it was replanted with coniferous forests, but the old heathlands and fens, such as the Langven, have been preserved as reminders of this ancient landscape. The area gained particular notoriety during the Second World War. In September 1944, during Operation Market Garden, Allied troops landed in this area. The Sonse Heide lay at the center of the route leading to the bridge at Son, a crucial crossing over the Wilhelmina Canal. Monuments and stories from the region still recall this period. Today, the Sonse Heide is not only a valuable nature reserve but also a place where history remains tangible. The Langven, which has been here for centuries, stands as a natural silent witness to everything this landscape has experienced.

During your walk across the Sonse Heide, don't miss Langven. This tranquil fen, surrounded by heathland and forest, is a beautiful spot to pause and enjoy the peace and quiet.

During your walk across the Sonse Heide, don't miss Langven. This tranquil fen, surrounded by heathland and forest, is a beautiful spot to pause and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Sonse Heide, a nature reserve that was once part of a vast heathland and drifting sand landscape between Son and Best. Today, it is a diverse area of forests, open heathlands, and small fens.

The monument consists of four concrete columns, topped with a statue of a pelican on its nest, with its young. The pelican is the Christian symbol of total self-sacrifice. According to legend, the bird feeds its young with its own blood. Around the columns is a relief of soldiers mourning a soldier on the ground. The columns are 6.5 meters high. Joe Mann This monument is a tribute to American paratrooper Joe Eugene Mann and all who fought to liberate Best. Joe Mann was an American soldier in World War II. He served with the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army during Operation Market-Garden and was killed in the battle in Best for the bridge over the Wilhelmina Canal on September 19, 1944, sacrificing himself for his fellow soldiers. He absorbed the explosion of a grenade with his back, thereby saving the lives of his comrades. For this act, he was posthumously awarded the highest American military decoration: the Medal of Honor. He is buried at Greenwood Memorial Terrace in Spokane, Washington State. The story of Joe E. Mann only became known in the region later, through a publication by Cees Wittebrood in the Bata Courier on October 22, 1954. This led to the construction of the Joe Mann Theater and the Joe Mann War Memorial. Reliefs on the Monument The reliefs on the monument depict Joe Mann's heroic act. Sergeant Bertras is depicted on the far left of the front, throwing a hand grenade from the shelter where Joe Mann lay with several wounded men. On the far right is Private Laino, who was severely wounded in the face when a grenade exploded on the barrel of his machine gun. The main motif on the front of the monument is Lieutenant Edward Wierszbowski, bending over the dying Joe Mann. The images on the front extend into the relief to the right of the monument, which depicts the wounded Joe Mann in his shelter. This part of the monument bears the United States coat of arms (eagle with coat of arms). The small relief on the back depicts Saint Odulphus, which appears in the coat of arms of the municipality of Best. The left section depicts Private L. Koller, who was killed by a bullet while he slept. The eagle, which appears in the coat of arms of the 101st Airborne Division, is also depicted there. The foot of the monument bears the inscription, which also appears on the Medal of Honor: "His extraordinary courtesy and magnificent conduct were an everlasting inspiration to his comrades, for whom he gave his life." The statue was designed by Nijmegen artist Ad Berntsen and unveiled by Joe Mann's parents on September 17, 1956, in the presence of Mayor Notermans, the military attaché of the American embassy in The Hague, and 13 Americans from the 101st Airborne Division, among many others.

walking through and over the trees