Aa-broeken hike (wetlands near Veghel!) and other Veghel, Netherlands Sports Travel Tips

Theme: Hiking

Aa-broeken is a small nature reserve just north of Veghel. It is surprisingly close to the city center, and easy to reach by foot.
Aa-broeken ("broeken" means "low land" and it is named after the river Aa) is the lowest part of the Municipality of Veghel. Its altitude is about 8 m above sea level. It is a pretty wet place, which is reflected in the vegetation. Most of the area is former fields which have been abandoned when foundations bought it from farmers.
As the area is not very big, hikes at Aa-broeken may take about 30 minutes to an hour (nett walking time), excluding your way to Aa-broeken. From Veghel's city center, add about 20 minutes two-way.

Equipment: Good boots are a big asset, as the area is pretty wet!
There are not bars or restaurants, so you may want to bring food and drinks yourself.

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Directions: In Veghel, head for Heeswijk Dinther. When you cross the railway, continue for 100 m and turn left on a sandy road. Alternatively, just follow the river Aa from the center of Veghel in northern direction.

Theme: Hiking

This tip is just to add some more pictures to illustrate the beautiful Aa-broeken hike. For details about the Aa-broeken hike, see my other tip.


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Theme: Hiking

At a very short distance of Veghel's center, you walk straight in to the countryside. This is the area nort of Veghel, called Dorshout and the Aa-Broeken. Because of the short distance to Veghel's center, you can always see the tower of the St Lambertus church, so it is difficult to get lost.
At Dorshout, you can see the typical countryside, whereas Aa-Broeken is a local nature reserve with a great variety of flora and fauna.

Equipment: If there has been some rain, you need good walking shoes or boots to enter the Aa-Broeken. Dorshout is always accessible with normal shoes.

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Directions: North of Veghel

Theme: Other

In winter time, a lower part of the small nature reserve Aa-broeken (see separate tips for more info) is artificially flooded. Providing temperatures are low enough for a number of days, a big ice-scating ring is formed. On average, this happens about twice a year or so, between December and March. The water freezes pretty quickly at Aa-broeken, as the water is very shallow (less than 50 cm in all places). Sometimes, the ice is strong enough to scate on for just one or a few days. Occasionally, it lastst for one week or more. The ice-scating ring is illuminated in the evening.
In summer time, the ice-scating ring is meadow with beautiful flowers.


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Directions: In Veghel, head for Heeswijk Dinther. When you cross the railway, continue for 100 m and turn left on a sandy road.

Theme: Hiking

There are very good hiking opportunities outside Veghel. One possibility is to walk to the Bedafse Bergen ("Bedaf Hills"), a group of sand dunes about 5 km north of Veghel. For more information about the Bedafse Bergen, see my separate website.
The route the to Bedafse Bergen goes either via Vorstenbosch or through the farmer's land east of the road from Veghel to Vorstenbosch. The latter is more quiet and more beautiful, as you see the typical countryside of eastern Brabant.
Eastern Brabant has the highest density of pigs in the world. Unfortunately, almost all pigs are in barns so you only see them if they are transported to the butcher. But I recently found a farm with pigs in the open field, along the Derptweg (a road between the Rietdijk and Driehuizen, please use a detailed map)!
Eastern Brabant is also known for its asparagus, which are called `the white gold` as they are pretty expensive. In springtime you can see many workers in the fields harvesting asparagus.
Between Veghel and Vorstenbosch there is a small stream called the Leigraaf. The water usually has a brown color becasue it contains a lot of iron.


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