Walking School 01

Summary

The very first Walking.School excursion! A long walk in Amsterdam Zuid, loosely following a marked 10km route. We started where the loop crosses the Beethovenstraat and went clockwise. We wandered briefly into the Amsterdamse Bos, then crossed the Buitenveldert and into the Amstelpark where we finished the walk with tea, coffee and waffles!

Walking.School 01 took place on 30 January 2022, starting at 12:00 pm and lasting for several hours. This is the 10km hardloop circle in Amsterdam Zuid.

Itinerary Description and Pictures

We are following the marked "Route Zuid 10km", one of the recommended running routes around Amsterdam (number 17 on the map), which is apparently not 10 but 9km! A copy of the map is available here. We'll follow the route walking rather than running and we will go counter-clockwise.

Along the way we stumble on an area infested by Japanese knotweed Reynoutria japonica. It is listed by the World Conservation Union as one of the world's worst invasive species. Its rhizomes can survive temperatures of −35 °C and can extend 7 metres horizontally and 3 metres deep, making removal by excavation extremely difficult. The plant is also resilient to cutting. To eradicate the plant the roots need to be killed. All above-ground portions of the plant need to be controlled repeatedly for several years in order to weaken and kill the entire patch. More ecologically-friendly means are being tested as an alternative to chemical treatments and this site appears to be one of those.

A glimpse at the Bosbaan of the Amsterdamse Bos. The Bosbaan is a rowing lake. It was built in 1936 as part of an employment project and originally had five lanes, was then widened to six lanes in 1954 when Amsterdam hosted the European Rowing Championships. Following a major renovation in 2001, the Bosbaan measures 2200 metres in length, 118 metres across and features 8 lanes.

A mystery rock in the middle of the Amsterdamse Bos. Unclear how it got here. Maybe by brought by a glacier?

Our route takes in some typical paths inside the Bos. Winter (January) landscape. It is difficult to believe that the entire Bos is a man-made area! The next section of the loop we cross from the Amsterdamse Bos to the Amstelpark through a beatutiful path in the Buitenveldert.