Bergherbos

Why the Bergherbos is so special

The Bergherbos near 's-Heerenberg is the largest contiguous deciduous forest in the Netherlands. That sounds like a statistic, but you feel it the moment you step inside. The forest closes around you. No sightline to a meadow or housing estate, just trees as far as you can see. The hills, shaped by glacial moraines from the ice age, give the landscape a relief that most Dutch forests lack. That makes compositions more interesting: you can look up, look down, and light falls differently on a slope than on a flat path.

Autumn is the season

Come in October or November. The beech trees turn from green to gold, orange and rusty brown. On an overcast day that works beautifully: soft, even light with no harsh shadows. On a sunny morning shortly after the leaves have fallen, you get low backlight breaking through the remaining foliage. It is worth setting your alarm early and being there at sunrise. The ground is covered in fallen leaves, which offers both texture and a soft surface for when you get down on your knees for macro photography.

Mushrooms and macro photography

In autumn, mushrooms push up through the ground, quite literally. Fly agarics, porcini, milk caps. They often grow at the base of old trees or half hidden beneath the leaf canopy. For macro photography, a focal length between 90mm and 105mm works well: you have some distance from your subject, which is useful when you do not want to disturb the surroundings. A small tripod or beanbag helps at those low angles. The moss and forest floor around the mushroom naturally become part of the image.

Practical

You can park at the forest entrance near 's-Heerenberg, on the edge of the village. The forest is part of the Huis Bergh estate and freely accessible to walkers and photographers. On busy weekends during the autumn school holiday, the path towards the higher sections gets popular, but you can always find quieter side paths. No permit is required for non-commercial photography. Wear sturdy shoes, as the slopes are slippery in wet weather. The nearest facilities are in 's-Heerenberg itself.

Sources and further reading

• Huis Bergh (eigenaar en beheerder landgoed)
• Staatsbosbeheer – Bergherbos
• Gemeente Montferland
• Wikipedia – Bergherbos