Tour of Grote Heide

Grote Heide is a picturesque church village in the north of the municipality of Neerpelt, in the Belgian province of Limburg. The attractiveness of the town, no more than a hamlet, will surprise you. The picturesque river Dommel flows through the Grote Heide valley and there is an extensive pine forest in which villas are hidden. In the village itself, the Virgin of the Armen Church and a remarkable cross from 1947 are beautiful sights. From the starting point of the route at Mooi Achel Bed and Breakfast, you cycle towards the border with the Netherlands. Once you have crossed it, you will come across the Sint Antonius Abt windmill in Borkel en Schaft, which has been in Borkel en Schaft since 1865. The stone upper mill is a belt mill where rye and buckwheat were ground. During the Second World War, part of the mill was used as a field hospital, but after the war the mill was fully used to fulfill its old function. A native garden has been created next to the mill, containing traditional Kempen farm herbs and vegetables. A kilometer before you cycle back to Belgian territory, you will see two sights, both related to the Second World War. The first is the Gate of Liberation monument, which commemorates the inauguration of the liberation. The second is a Liberation Route listening point, where you can listen to an excerpt about what happened here towards the end of the Second World War. It is one of the 75 places where impressive experiences of civilians and soldiers are kept alive with the help of field boulders, which mark the point where these stories took place. L101: In an Ambush tells the story of the events that happened after British tanks were ambushed after crossing the border.