"Bocholt Migrates" 2025

Hiking fans take note: After the great response last year, the second Bocholt Hiking Day will take place on Sunday, 13 April 2025 (Palm Sunday). Once again this year, the hike will start at Diepenbrock Castle in the idyllic Bocholt district of Barlo and through the neighbouring Dutch Achterhoek.

"The number of registrations is similar to last year and the 25km route is already almost sold out," explains Anna Schmitz, who is mainly responsible for planning the event at Stadtmarketing Bocholt. "The 25km route is also the only one of the three routes that we have to limit in terms of participants, as there will be a hot snack along the way. The preparation facilities will reach their capacity limits at some point, especially as the aid station will be set up along the route and will require a certain amount of improvisation on the part of the Malteser Hilfsdienst volunteer group anyway," Schmitz explains further.

Small changes - new character of the routes

The biggest change compared to the previous year will certainly be found in the countryside due to the new scheduling, as this year's hike is not in autumn but in spring.

"The routes will remain the same, except that the routes will be run the other way round in 2025. We hope that this will also give participants a completely new look and perception of the routes," adds Maria Rickert, representing the Bocholt City Sports Association, which is helping to organise the hiking day.

In addition to the Bokeltje puzzle, there will also be a special toddler stuffed animal scavenger hunt for the very young participants who already dare to tackle the 8 km route. This means that even the very youngest participants, who are not yet able to read and solve the Bokeltje riddle, will have a fun and exciting challenge along the way and, of course, a little surprise at the end.

Advance check-in

Two weeks before the hiking day, an advance check-in for hikers will be set up again. In calendar week 14, i.e. from 31 March - 4 April 2025, all participants can check in in advance at the City Marketing Office and collect their hiking passes. Check-in is possible daily between 10:00 - 16:30. To check in, participants must bring their hard ticket or the online ticket they purchased via the Chayns system. Anyone who does not manage to collect their hiking pass from the city marketing office this week can of course still do so on 13 April before their respective starts. Please allow some time in advance for this.