Category: Oirschot, Netherlands

Speelbos de Kemmer – Kids Play Forest

I read about a free kids trail walk in the woods nearby Oirschot, called Speelbos de Kemmer. As it was really nice weather and as Bobbi was going for a nap, we took the walk.  Scatter throughout the woods are animals carved into wood which as you wander you will spot them.

First Soren scoped out the trail, as once you go on the trail, you have no idea which way to go as there are no signs posted.

Turns out we found all but two the ‘wart hog and kabouters’.  After we realised we missed a turn in the end… but not that important to go back in for the last two.

Next door is a tennis club with a few swings, slide, etc.  The other direction a camping area and an indoor/outdoor pool. Would be a great place to stay with kids.

My only one warning is for those with small children who run off or don’t really listen well (I know plenty!) Or for those who let their dogs run off lead, I would avoid the path which runs parallel to the major highway as there is no fence.

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Oirschot, The Netherlands

Today we visited the charming village or Oirschot – such a pretty place with lovely shops.  It is just 15 minutes from Eindhoven it is apparently home to many wealthy Dutch – we saw a Lamborghini and a Bentley.  Not sure if this is true as we only are visitors.  Oirschot is the also home to De Steenuil Kinderboederij.

There was a pretty big ice skating rink which was very busy and the kids who do not know how to skate have to stay over to the side in a small area – Boxtel is better for our kids with the chairs – they keep asking when are we going back.

In August 2017, it will be home to the Icelandic Horse Championships. On their site there are tiny horses running very quickly and funny – perhaps that is the attraction – no clue.

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There is a great cheese shop De Ster & Kaas Culinair which has amazing choices and I could spent an afternoon at a class learning about the various cheeses sold there.  If you zoom in there is some very moldy cheese…  Humm – not even sure I’d be willing to try it. I know it is supposed to be that way and it is amazing but with my migraines, I’m sure it will NOT be good for me.  We did end up buying other cheese – all so amazing!

After getting Brasserie TOF for a drink and bitterballen and a couple beers.   I’ll just point out how I LOVE how they include those lovely little paper things for your fingers – it’s such a plus for eating bitterballen.  Which normally I don’t eat but these ones were actually tasty.

In the evening we played the vintage Jumbo Jet game we picked up in the Kringloopwinklel in Leiden.

I think we’ll visit Oirschot again this trip before we head back to Dublin.

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De SteenUil Kinderboerderij – Oirschot, Netherlands

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Yesterday we all visited a Boerderij (Dutch for farm) De SteenUil which has been transformed into a restaurant with kids play area but at the same time still a working farm.  It was sort of like Davis Farmland where there are activities for the kids including feeding the animals, but with great looking food and beer – and as an added bonus for me they have white beer! My beer snobbery is showing.  But I have been lucky on this trip and had some yummy white beers so will post those later when I get around to it.

What 6-year-old girl doesn’t love a pair of wooden clogs!?  I meant to pick her up a pair of slippers but forgot – next trip!

The kids loved it.  Inside there is a slide which you go down on snow tubes – it was hard to get the tubes up at first but with some adult help they were on a roll.  Sometimes they’d go one at a time, other times altogether. Here are a few videos of their slide adventures.  Only one injury which Soren feels on this head going up the ramp but with two broken arms, we’re used to these boy injuries.

There is also an indoor sandbox and a smaller area for toddlers – but when we were there it was a free for all of all age groups so definitely not a ‘safe toddler area.’

After doing the slide load of times, they went outside to the swings, go-carts, and sand area – which I would avoid – cats love to use it as a giant litter box (which we witnessed ourselves).

Then on to my favorite part -feeding the animals which required some working for it.  The farmer first had them feed the baby goats, then donkey, cats, and then had to bring their individual wheelbarrows outside to the scoop hay.

After all the feeding the cows, they got to give them a cookie… in this next video, you’ll see their long tongues were a bit too much for all three of them, including Nils.

They had a barn full of ride-on toys and bicycles [most of which were broken with flat tires] which if you found a working one, you could use.  At his time Maebh still is not stable enough to ride but had some trying and the next day kept talking about the Dutch bicycle she’d love to own.

In the summer the place has more stuff like pony rides and more things outdoors, but it was still fun and we’ll definitely visit one more time before we leave back to Dublin.  If we lived in the area, we’d buy a family membership.

Website: http://www.desteenuil.nl/  Which I believe is all in Dutch but you can still decipher the basics like entry price and location, etc.

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