The RCN recreation park does a lot with sustainability. For example, in the 10-year plan for the forest on the premises, RCN is working on removing all exotic plants and bringing back native species. In setting up this plan, the forest surrounding the holiday park was naturally also considered, so that the holiday park is part of the rest of the National Park in which it is located.
In addition to a lot of work being done in the forest, sustainable possibilities are also being considered for the new buildings. The brand-new reception building is built on 17 chestnut trees. Eelco: “It is almost entirely made of wood. Furthermore, it has a floating leaf as a roof, which gives you the feeling that the inside is outside.”
In more ways, Eelco tries to share the nature experience he has with guests. For example, by hanging bat boxes at the nine new homes, which are also being built as energy-efficiently as possible. His favorite spot in National Park Utrechtse Heuvelrug is of course RCN het Grote Bos, but also the sand drifts 100 meters away from the park are a favorite: “Amazing that you can walk there so easily.”
When Eelco talks about the history of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug and specifically of the Hydepark estate, on whose grounds the holiday park is built, he immediately becomes enthusiastic: “You can still see the special 150-year-old avenue structures in the park. I can totally imagine how the old banker who was then the owner of the estate would stroll there and ride through the avenues in his carriage.”
For the future of the National Park, Eelco hopes that it is well-managed and maintained so that people can always come to enjoy it. Because according to Eelco, we should indeed showcase how special and beautiful the Utrechtse Heuvelrug is.