The gardens at Keukenhof were an expected delight, but the unexpected pleasure of this trip has been the Keukenhof Forrest. Located just over the road from the gardens (but totally unconnected) the forest is a beautiful tranquil beech woodland with several well marked trails.
We walked Zoly in the Forrest every day of our trip here. Although the signs says ‘dogs on leads’ we followed the local dog owners and let Zoly off to roam free, he loved it. The sandy soil meant that there wasn’t a lot of woodland plants, just lots of leaf matter – perfect for sniffing and zooming in, sending leaves flying in all directions.

Where’s Zoly? A whole wood to himself

On each of our visits we barely saw more than a couple of other people in the wood, it felt like it was Zoly’s private playground and he loved it. Sticks were thrown, holes were dug and plenty of marks were left.
The Forrest was also a great haven for wildlife, we saw rabbits and lots birds. There was a very active woodpecker pecking away but the most impressive resident was the stork who had made its nest high in the canopy and was sat guarding its content, hoping for a special delivery very soon.

Special delivery coming soon

Zoly’s favourite part of the wood was the hollow where the soil gave way to pure sand. It was a bit like s beach in the middle of the Forrest. Zoly loves the feel of sand under his paws so as soon as he reached the sound he went crazy, leaping, bounding and digging. It’s a joy to watch him enjoy such simple pleasures. Maybe I need to get him his own sandpit at home so it can be like viz-vacation every day!