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17.6 km
~3 hrs 30 min
0 m
Loop
“Wander sandy Brabant woods and tea-dark vennen, where quiet WWII echoes linger beside reeds.”
This is a flat, water-and-woodland loop of about 18 km / 11.2 mi with essentially 0 m / 0 ft of climbing, weaving through the Nieuwe Heide area between Best and Son en Breugel (North Brabant). Expect a classic Brabant landscape: sandy forest tracks, remnants of heathland, and a chain of small lakes/ponds (“vennen”)—with Langven and Oude Meer as the headline waters—plus a few places where the region’s WWII history is quietly but powerfully present.
- Joe Mann Paviljoen, Joe Mannweg, 5681 PT Best, Netherlands ([routiq.com](https://routiq.com/nl/route/763744/de-nieuwe-heide-langven?utm_source=openai))
By car: Navigate to Joe Mannweg in Best and follow signs for the pavilion/parking. This is one of the most straightforward places to park for longer loops in this forest-heath mosaic. ([routiq.com](https://routiq.com/nl/route/763744/de-nieuwe-heide-langven?utm_source=openai))
By public transport: The nearest rail hub is typically Best station (NS). From there, you’ll usually need a bus and/or a short taxi ride, or plan on adding a few extra kilometers of walking to reach Joe Mannweg and the forest edge. If you want, share where you’re coming from (e.g., Eindhoven Centraal) and the time of day, and the most practical bus connection can be narrowed down.
For navigation on the day, load the route in HiiKER so you can stay on the correct forest tracks when multiple sandy paths braid together.
- Unpaved dominates: long stretches of sandy forest road, pine-needle singletrack, and compacted dirt. Many routes in this area are overwhelmingly off-road. ([klikprintenwandel.nl](https://www.klikprintenwandel.nl/wandelroutes/ommetje-oud-meer-en-langven/?utm_source=openai)) - Wet patches happen: after rain, low spots near the vennen can turn soft, muddy, or puddled, and some forest parcels can hold water for a while in wetter seasons. ([klikprintenwandel.nl](https://www.klikprintenwandel.nl/wandelroutes/ommetje-oud-meer-en-langven/?utm_source=openai)) - Noise comes and goes: you may periodically hear the A50 and the N620, especially when the loop swings closer to the edges of the nature area. ([klikprintenwandel.nl](https://www.klikprintenwandel.nl/wandelroutes/ommetje-oud-meer-en-langven/?utm_source=openai))
Plan on 3.5–5 hours of walking time for most hikers, depending on breaks and how boggy the margins of the lakes are.
Oude Meer and Langven are the most recognizable waters on this loop. You’ll often find: - Reedy margins and dark, tea-colored water typical of sandy-soil vennen - Small clearings where the forest opens and you get longer sightlines across the water - Bird activity along the edges—listen for rustling in the reeds and watch for quick, low flights over the surface in calmer weather
A neat geological detail in this area is that some vennen persist even on slightly higher sandy ground because of less-permeable layers in the basin that help hold water. ([klikprintenwandel.nl](https://www.klikprintenwandel.nl/wandelroutes/ommetje-oud-meer-en-langven/?utm_source=openai))
Surfaces
Sand
Unknown
Dirt
Asphalt
Unpaved
Ground
Paved
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