Walking about
the roof of Brabant

↓ Discover the walk

Distance12.7 kmPublic transport walk

Duration± 2h25without long breaks

Height difference60 mrise and fall

From, toBrandevoortGeldrop station

72/100

★★★★★

Lots of variety and a surprising highlight.

GPXRoute and GPX on KomootView or download the public transport walk ↗

This makes the route special

Panorama from the Gulbergen
Paragliders on top of the hill
Alternation between city, field, forest and heath
Special modern architecture and solar fields
Easily accessible by public transport

To take into account

A long stretch runs along the track
There are little to no catering facilities along the way
The new construction part is mainly functional

Advertentie

From city to nature

The roof of Brabant starts in Brandevoort

This varied public transport walk leads from Helmond Brandevoort station via the highest viewpoint of the route to Geldrop station.

Brandevoort is a striking new residential area with a mix of traditional and modern architecture. It feels a bit like a sleek mini-Delft.

You first walk through planned streets and over cobblestones. Along the way you will pass a few supermarkets, useful for stocking up on something because you will not encounter any catering establishments later. All other routes are on my walking overview of the Netherlands.

From solar panels to silence

The landscape changes in a few minutes

After the new residential area you head towards the open countryside. The modern houses and straight streets give way to countryside, farms and field roads.

The first surprise is Zonnepark Hazenwinkel. On the site of a former farm, there are now long rows of solar panels between the grass edges. Farmland and energy transition come remarkably close together here.

Then you walk towards the small hamlet of Heiderschoor, a handful of farms and quiet country roads.

Solar park Hazenwinkel on the route The roof of Brabant — Hazenwinkel solar park
A modern contrast between shiny panels and the open Brabant landscape.

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En route

Along the track

This isn’t the most charming part, but look up. A stork regularly breeds on the overhead lines. Behind you is Eindhoven Zoo and Golf Park de Gulbergen stretches out to the left.

Stork on the overhead wire along the route The Roof of Brabant — An unexpected stork
A stork has had a prominent permanent place on the overhead line along the track for years.

View from the roof of Brabant on the Gulbergen

The highlight

The Gulbergen, the roof of Brabant

A former garbage dump turned into a green hill more than sixty meters high.

After the climb you immediately understand where the nickname comes from. The view is wide and on clear days it extends far over Brabant.

The skyline of Eindhoven
The contours of ‘s-Hertogenbosch
The forests of the Peel and the Kempen

Paragliders are regularly ready to fly at the top. Mountain bikers also know the Gulbergen as a popular route.

Advertentie

After the descent

Via the Luchense Heide to Geldrop

After the viewpoint you descend over quiet field roads and forest paths towards the Luchense Heide, a small-scale but attractive heathland area between Mierlo and Geldrop.

Here you can relax between sandy paths, fragrant pine trees and small open heathlands. The route ends at Geldrop station, where you can easily get back on the train.

“A nice walk for those who like variety, a bit of altitude and the feeling of getting away for a while.”

Luchense Heide during the walk The roof of Brabant — Luchense Heide
Sandy paths, pine trees and heathland form the quiet end of the route.

My experience

A fascinating transition from city to nature

The original start in Brandevoort, the solar park and the rural parts give the route a lot of variety. The panorama from the Gulbergen is without a doubt the highlight.

The stretch along the track and the lack of catering facilities lower the rating somewhat. Yet the quiet paths, paragliders and panoramic views ensure that Het dak van Brabant continues to surprise.

Captured along the way