Outdoors in Utrecht

Hi everyone! For those who want to enjoy nature, trips/excursions, and generally a more outdoors setting, let’s get together for a hiking excursion! The plan is to meet at Utrecht Central (and/or a train station that is closest to our hiking area), and then we begin our hiking route.
For first-timers (or as a helpful reminder 😉), I recommend that you wear a comfy outfit & shoes and bring water & a snack or two. At some point during the excursion, we can do a break in-between to rest and eat/drink for a while.

Depending on the time & weather, and whether people are up for it, there’s always the possibility of follow-up drinks later that day.

More info about the route/location:
https://www.ns.nl/dagje-uit/wandelen/elsterberg.html
Short info from the route's site; the route is 17.5 km in total but can be stopped at 11 km by going to Elst and getting the bus 50 to go back to Veenedal, Zeist, or directly to Utrecht. For pet owners, dogs are allowed in most parts of the route, but there's a 1.5 km part (grazing area) where dogs are not allowed. However, there is an alternative path to take 👍
In addition, I'll attempt to take different turns this time aiming for different fields than the ones we saw before. More on that closer to the event's confirmation day

More tips on finding the group and helpful contact info with the host will follow in the comments the day before the meetup.

To those interested, hope to see you there! 😄

In case of bad (NL) weather, the event might be moved to another day.

For the first time ever, we, as Outdoors in Utrecht, will be undertaking a walkathon for a good cause

Stichting Hartekind is a non-profit charity organization (and the only one in NL) that provides funding for scientific medical research for heart diseases affecting children (0-15 years)
https://www.hartekind.nl/

We will be hiking the entirety of the north dunes reserve up until Den Helder to raise awareness about the organization & its actions, plus raise funding for the organization

If you want to participate, that's awesome! You can join for the full hike or part of it
Starting point is Castricum train station @ 8:00 in the morning
You can also join of course for part of the hike.
The route & its milestones are

• Start point --> Castricum train station
• Eggmond aan Zee (15km)
• Bergen aan Zee (10 km)
• Camperduin (10 km)
• Petten (10 km)
• Callantsoog (10 km)
• Julianadorp (10 km)
• End point --> Den Helder train station (10 km)
  Aim is to be at Den Helder by 23:00 - 23:15 so anyone can take the last train back home to Utrecht/Amsterdam/other

Our pace will be 5-6 km/hour on average. You can pace yourselves with us but, in order to achieve the full route within a day, we can't slow down and do our normal amount of breaks
I recommend you stick with us, and when it gets rough you can drop out completely at a milestone point or continue at your own pace from there. I'll provide a full visual map closer to the event day

if you cannot join, but still want to support, you're more than welcome & appreciated to donate for the cause
Here is where you can donate

Please only donate an amount you feel comfortable with, and don't financially push yourself 🙏
https://supporta.com/pp3m/fvw1d12kg4?utm_source=copy_link&utm_medium=customer&utm_campaign=fundraiser_page_share

Note that this event will not be postponed, unless there's major weather warnings, or train traffic issues. Even if it rains, this event is happening

I hope you join me, even in spirit, in this cause of mine
Constantinos

With warm & good weather on the horizon again, it's time again to get more picnic-y & outdoors-y 🌄
For this new season, let's revisit the old picnic gathering formula, but add into the night vibe & spicy dance theme (in this case tango, because other dances are oversaturated with events 😊)

The premise:
A picnic gathering starting from 19:00 & ending 23:00 sharp
Since it's evening vibes, BYO food/drinks/games still applies but think time appropriate (don't go big on alcohol though!)
Dancing aspect, music starts 20:00 & ends 23:00 sharp!

Exact location in Griftpark:
To be concluded, but assume close to where the meetup event location currently is set at

Additional notes for the tango aspect:

• you're very much welcome to join in & dance, even with no experience. I can show you a thing or two so you can get a taste & give it a go 😊 Depending on how many, either via a quick group tryout or I help you out individually
• The tango aspect of the event is through the Utrecht Tango Cafe Milonga community (also organized by Constantinos)
  More info --> https://www.utrechtcafemilonga.com

If you have any further questions, feel free to message the host

Depending on the time & weather, and whether people are up for it, follow-up drinks can always follow later that day.

To those interested, I hope to see you there! 😄