Holten is a town of 10,000. As someone from Australia it would be hard to believe that there are 10,000 people living there as you pass by. But there are and most of the houses in the town are joined duplexes, meaning it is a compact,but beautiful town.
Holten is a very popular town in the summer months because for the Holterberg and the surrounding Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park, which is stunning. I do have a giggle when the locals talk about going up the mountain as it tops out at 65 metres, never the less, it is beautiful.
In the summer months Holten's numbers swell with holidaymakers. The town is well serviced by camping parks. It is popular with hikers, runners, cyclists and nature lovers. As a runner it is sensational. You have a beautiful mix of running and cycling paths that go through the beautiful forest. You can choose whether you want to stick to the narrow, asphalt tracks or the dirt ones that often run parallel with them. The main paths are very well marked out with signposts and a lot of the paths are intersect like a grid. Of course you can take the winding walking and mountain bike paths. These eventually wind their way back to the main tracks, so you don't get too lost.
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Holten is also famous for the Canadian War Cemetery which is situated in the forest just out of the town centre. Over 1800 soldiers, mainly Canadian soldiers are buried there. Canadian soldiers helped liberate the Netherlands in World War II. Two Australian soldiers are buried here. There are a number of ceremonies at the cemetery during the year and locals take part in looking after the tombstones.
Oh and the locals are extremely friendly. I have visited 3 times now and the last 2 times I have stayed with a very generous family who looked after me on my first trip there when I did the Holten Triathlon in 2002.
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