Europarcs De Achterhoek

Take a cooling swim in the lake on sunny days, or set up with rod and bait at one of the lakeside fishing spots. Out and about, explore rural De Achterhoek by boat on the Berkel river, which runs through Lochem (10 minutes’ drive), or set off on a family bike ride through flat, wooded landscape to follow the 34-kilometre Eight Castle Route to landmarks like moated Kasteel Ampsen (25 minutes by bike). There’s masses in store for children locally too. Spend a day on rollercoasters and water rides at AdventurePark Hellendoorn, or meet the free-roaming monkeys at Apenheul in Apeldoorn (both 40 minutes). Have they still got energy to burn off? Wear them out on the zip wires at Treetop Climbing Achterhoek (15 minutes). For a change of scenery, why not head for the bright lights? The Hanseatic cities of Deventer (half an hour) and Zutphen (15 minutes) both offer lively cafés in cobbled streets or canal-side, while in Bronckhorst (25 minutes), one of the smallest city in The Netherlands, you can have a nose around quiet lanes lined with distinctive brick-built houses.