Staatsbosbeheer mushroom walks in October at 7.50 to 10.50 euro: two adults with children of 6 and 9 pay from 25 euro

October is when Dutch forests are fullest of mushrooms, and the national forest service Staatsbosbeheer is running a set of guided mushroom walks led by rangers and nature guides in Drenthe, Groningen, Noord-Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht, scheduled from 5 October to 1 November, at 7.50 to 10.50 euro per adult for one and a half to two and a half hours. Walkers follow a guide along forest paths looking for caps and learning to tell species apart, and several walks suggest bringing a small mirror to see underneath a mushroom without disturbing it. For families planning an autumn outing these walks are not interchangeable: the minimum age runs from 4 to 12, and the price for children aged 12 and under is 5 euro on some walks and the full adult price on another, so the same family pays different amounts, or cannot join at all, depending on where it goes; each walk is booked on its own activity page.

• What makes them different: the lime-poor sand of the Schoorlse Duinen supports some 800 mushroom species, including ones not found elsewhere in the Netherlands; the Drents-Friese Wold walk explains the role of mushrooms in the forest's cycle, gives children an activity booklet while stocks last and states that it is not about which mushrooms are edible. (source 5, source 2)
• Walks and prices: Drents-Friese Wold 10 euro adults and 7.50 children, from age 4, Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 11 October to 1 November; Boomkroonpad on the Hondsrug 7.50 and 5, from 6, Sunday and Wednesday afternoons; Sellingerbossen in Westerwolde 7.50 and 5, from 6, on 11 October only; the Schoorlse Duinen safari 7.50 for everyone, from 7; Westerschouwen and the Gadrabos on Schouwen-Duiveland 8 and 5, from 8; Lage Vuursche 10 and 5.50, from 10, including a drink at the restaurant. (source 2, source 3, source 9, source 4, source 6, source 7, source 8)
• Who suits which: with a child of 4 or 5, the Drents-Friese Wold walk is the only one in this set that accepts them; with children of 6 and over, Boomkroonpad and Westerwolde are the cheapest. Adults who already know a little about mushrooms can take the advanced Schoorlse Duinen walk at 10.50 euro, from age 12, two and a half hours over 4 to 8 km. (source 2, source 3, source 9, source 5)
• Before you go: all routes use unpaved paths and most are unsuitable for prams and wheelchairs; the Lage Vuursche walk covers 5 to 8 km and asks for long trousers against ticks; dogs on a lead are allowed only on the two Schouwen-Duiveland walks; parking at the Schoorlse Duinen visitor centre is paid. (source 8, source 6, source 4)

Do the sum yourself: family cost = adults × adult price + children aged 12 and under × child price, choosing only walks whose minimum age is no higher than your youngest child. Two adults with children of 6 and 9 pay 2 × 7.50 + 2 × 5 = 25 euro at Boomkroonpad or Westerwolde and 2 × 10 + 2 × 7.50 = 35 euro in the Drents-Friese Wold, while the Schoorlse Duinen safari starts at age 7, so the 6-year-old cannot go. With children of 8 and 10 it is 4 × 7.50 = 30 euro on the Schoorlse Duinen safari, 2 × 8 + 2 × 5 = 26 euro at Westerschouwen or the Gadrabos, and 2 × 10 + 2 × 5.50 = 31 euro at Lage Vuursche with four drinks. Put in your own children's ages, rule out the walks they cannot join, then compare prices.

Where

Drenthe・Groningen・Noord-Holland・Zeeland・Utrecht, 8 guided walks

When

5 October–1 November・1.5 to 2.5 hours each

Price

Adults € 7.50–10.50・12 and under € 5–7.50

Ages

Minimum 4 to 12 depending on the walk

Note

Book on each walk's page・unpaved paths, no prams・dogs not allowed on most walks

Hokimi field note: from 3 to 31 October the Schoorlse Duinen visitor centre sets out a mushroom table behind the building with species growing nearby; look at it before or after either Schoorl walk and children find it easier to spot the same ones in the woods.