Dancing Trees

Speulderbos and Sprielderbos belong to nature reserve De Veluwe and is one of the oldest forests in The Netherlands. It’s well known for its many mysterious crooked trees as a result of centuries of selective logging. The locals call it The forest of the dancing trees. Its long history made it a source of inspiration for many legends. Sprielderbos and Speulderbos are separated by a winding trail called De Laak. The many prehistoric burial mounds along the trail show that it exists for thousands of years. Solsche Gat is a shallow hole in Sprielderbos. According to an old legend it was once a monastery. The monks had sold their souls to the devil and led a dissolute life. As punishment, the earth swallowed the monastery during a heavy thunderstorm. The ghosts of the monks still wander every night around Solsche Gat, looking for their monastery.