WildMove Outdoor Club was born in the spring of 2018 when three nature enthusiasts met during a spontaneous hiking trip in the Veluwe forest. Marcus van der Berg, Elena Jansen, and Thomas de Vries discovered they shared a common frustration: finding organized outdoor activities in the Netherlands that welcomed both beginners and experienced adventurers was surprisingly difficult. Most groups catered exclusively to either casual walkers or hardcore athletes, leaving little room for those in between.
What started as informal weekend hikes with friends quickly evolved into something more meaningful. By summer 2018, word-of-mouth had brought twenty regular participants to their Saturday morning forest walks. The founders realized they had tapped into a genuine need within the community. People were craving authentic connections with nature and with each other, but they needed structure, safety, and encouragement to make it happen consistently.
Throughout 2019, the club formalized its structure and expanded beyond hiking. Recognizing that outdoor movement takes many forms, WildMove introduced cycling teams, coastal explorations, and nature photography walks. Each activity was designed with the same core principles: accessibility for all fitness levels, safe organization, and emphasis on group motivation. The supportive community atmosphere became the club's defining characteristic.
Today, WildMove has grown into one of the most active outdoor clubs in the Netherlands, with over four hundred fifty members participating in more than one hundred twenty monthly activities. Despite this growth, we have maintained our founding commitment to creating beginner-friendly experiences while offering advanced routes for seasoned outdoor enthusiasts. Our success lies in understanding that outdoor activities are not just about physical movement but about building connections, confidence, and a lasting relationship with the natural world around us.
