Stunning border-bash Gravel Ride crossing Kalmthoutse Heide and Brabantse Wal

97 km 160 m Hard

Route Description

An absolute gem of a gravel route. I rode this the second to last day of 2025 on a beautiful fresh wintercold morning. I knew the area from previous rides and had high expectations. Knowing this, I was still pleasantly surprised by the beauty of this route.

I rode this route with my buddy Mark and we parked the car next to the route near Heide. From there we took the road to Kalmthout and immediately entered some nice gravel patches of the Kalmthoutse Heide. The cold temperature combined with an early sunny morning immediately gave me a great vibe.

The route takes you further North into the Netherlands via Huijbergen where you pass the military airbase at Woensdrecht on a beautiful off road stretch. Up to this point it really is highlight after highlight riding gravel roads, forest paths and some single tracks. This continues all the way towards Hoogerheide and Ossendrecht where you cross beautiful inland farmlands.

At this point you’re almost halfway and the route scenery changes a bit. Next up are some War monuments, of which I really liked the anti-tank ditch adobe Stabroek and the Fortress of Braschaat. As you go in and out of parts of the anti-tank ditch all the way up to Braschaat it pays to keep looking out for all these little war gems.

At Schoten you get to the most Southern point of this gravel ride and the route turns back North. From here it’s not too long before you pass la Garenne forest and some other forest roads back towards Kalmthout where we loaded the bikes back on the car.

Tip: Take your time to notice many WOl and WOll relics in the second half of this route
Tip: Kalmthoutse heide and Brabantse wal are beautiful gravel areas in general to further explore

Contributor

Vincent Neve

Since buying my first gravel bike in 2019 cycling has never been the same for me. The gravel bike quickly became my favorite bike that pushed my MTB and race bikes one place further back in the pecking order. I love how the gravel bike gives me the drive to explore. To set out for discovery of new routes and gravel roads, both in my backyard around Breda in the Netherlands and when traveling abroad with the family. Since that day in 2020 my time on bike and annual kilometers increased dramatically. Up to a point where I participated in my first ultra endurance events in 2025 where I finished FlatLands 300 and the Bright Midnight.

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