Market Garden, Eindhoven The Netherlands
August 30, 2023 - by Muriel Dassen
Eindhoven is a city in the South of the Netherlands in the province of Brabant buzzing with creativity, unique hotspots and innovation. The combination of a modern metropolis and the relaxed "Southern atmosphere" makes Eindhoven one of the most exciting cities in the Netherlands. With all its facilities a perfect central point of our Market Garden tour. Because Eindhoven is also situated in the heart of the area where Market Garden took place and is one of the cities that was liberated during this Operation. With the rides of this Market Garden tour all starting in the Eindhoven area you will be able to explore the area where this part of history actually took place.
Of course you can download the GPX / ITN files and full e-books of the 2 rides we have in this tour via our roadtrip planner but you can already find the info in this blogpost.
And it is definitely worth to take some time to explore the maybe unexpected pleasant city of Eindhoven as well: the shopping area surrounding the 18 Septemberplein, the history of the two global companies Philips and DAF, the cafes at the Markt, Stratumseind and Kleine Berg and the area of Strijp S. If you are interested, find more information about the Philips museum and DAF museum on their websites.
Recommended hotels:
Rating on Booking.com: Very good 8.4
With private parking garage - reservation needed and fee applicable
With bar and restaurant
In city centre Eindhoven
Rating on Booking.com: Very good 8.0
With private parking garage - fee applicable
With bar and restaurant
In city centre Eindhoven
Rating on Booking.com: Fabulous 8.9
Free of road parking in front of hotel
Or private parking garage – reservation needed and fee applicable
In city centre Eindhoven
Rating on Booking.com: Superb 9.0
With free on site – not covered – parking
With bar and next to restaurant
In the village of Vessem
15 km/9 miles outside of Eindhoven
Rating on Booking.com: Very good 8.4
With free on site – not covered - parking, not secured but very remote and
private
With bar and restaurant
25 minute walk to Heeze
14 km/8.5 miles outside of Eindhove
Ride 1
Ride 1 of the Market Garden tour takes you through the wooded area of the region that is called the Kempen to city where operation Market Garden was launched. The ride is 150 kilometres / 93 miles, giving you all the time to enjoy the ride and the 3 recommended stops.
In den Bockenreyder
As we thought it was time for a cup of coffee or tea and maybe even a bite to eat, we are taking you to this tavern in the middle of the forest for our first stop of ride 1: In den Bockenreyder. We tell you the story behind the name in the video. It is a very popular stop amongst hikers, cyclists, horse riders ánd motorcyclists. The last somewhat 500 metres /1600 ft is on a bumpy "dirt" road. So if it is wet, you might want to decide to stop a bit sooner at the village of Hilvarenbeek on the lovely square and if you are checking "In den Bockenreyder" out, please be careful.
Leopoldsburg
Leopoldsburg is the city where the ground operation of Market Garden was launched.Thus, a must go to in this tour! Just in front of the station, you will find a Sherman tank as a memorial to Friday September 15, 1944 when General Brian Horrocks and his men received the orders for operation Market Garden in the in those times Splendid cinema opposite this tank. There is more info on Leopoldsburg during the war in our video of this ride 1. In Leopoldsburg you can also find 2 War cemeteries: 1 Common Wealth and 1 Belgian. And in 2022 the new museum Liberation Garden opended. We visited in 2023 and it is definitely worth a visit! Of course we added added the museum to the GPX / ITN file that you can download via our roadtrip planner. And you can find more info on Liberation Garden on its website here.
De Familie Suykerbuyck
The last stop of ride 1 of the Market Garden tour is at the actual corridor where the British liberators set foot on Dutch territory for the first time. You can hear all about this story at the memorial just opposite of the restaurant. And of course you can have a nice refreshing drink here before you head back to Eindhoven.
Ride 2
Ride 2 of the Market Gardentour is a ride of 160 kilometres / 100 miles with two of the - in our opinion - best museums regarding WWII, a good stop for a drink or bite to eat and a Market Garden memorial. And of course we have looked for the nicest roads to still take you on a nice ride in between!
Nationaal Monument Kamp Vught
Camp Vught was the only SS concentration camp outside Nazi Germany and the area annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II. It now is a museum that we highly recommend visiting. Outside visiting the museum, you can also take the 10 minute walk to the former execution area, now a memorial and see the rebuilt watchtowers and one of the barracks. If you want the visit the museum, is is advised to book your tickets in advance here.
Lachende Vis
Of course we have added a stop to the GPX / ITN file that you can download via our roadtrip planner where you can have a drink, a bite to eat or, if you fancy one, a nice cream. Enjoy!
Airborne monument Bernheze
We added a quick stop at the castle of Heeswijk. Of course, for the pretty view, but also for the Airborne monument here. On 17 September 1944 the paratroopers of the American 501st Parachute Regiment came down here, only to learn they jumped too late and landed at the wrong castle. One of them was Father Sampson, the chaplain of the regiment. We do recommend you to listen to his story on this website if you are interested!
Wings of Liberation
Our last stop of ride 2 of the Market Garden tour is at the museum Bevrijdende vleugels, Wings of Liberation. The museum is situated in the area where on 17 September 1944 the airborne operations as port of the operation Market Garden marked the beginning of the liberation. Besides visiting the museum, you can also go on a battlefield tour: you will be taken in a military vehicle through the surroundings getting to know more about all the airborne operations that took place her.
You can book your tickets for the museum in advance here. If you are interested in a battlefield tour, you will find more information here, but do make sure to contact the museum well in advance!
Ride 3
With ride 3 of the Market Garden tour we are taking you to the area that is called"Peel en Maas". It is known for its peat soil in the Westand the lively valley of the river Meuse in the East. In this ride we have two more operation Market Garden related stops for you. And besides some nice riding we have of course added stops for a drink and a bite to eat.
Mierlo war cemetary
A very early quick stop, but we did not want you to miss this memorial. The cemetery was created in the spring of 1945 and the majority of those buried here had fallen in battles between September 1944 and November 1944 during operation Market Garden and the period after that operation.
In d'n Ouwe Peel
For our first real stop we have chosen the terrace of "In d'n ouwe Peel" in the village of Helenaveen. Can you believe that this area was a swamp and barely accessible over centuries?
De Hertog Jan Proeverij
Right after crossing the river Meuse on a little ferry, you will find this nice cafe with a lovely terrace just opposite of the Hertog Jan beer brewery. Of course you can taste a beer and it is also a good spot for lunch. If you would like to go on a tour in the brewery, make sure to make your reservation in advance here.
War museum Overloon
The next stop is in Overloon at the War museum. The museum itself presents the history of WW II and has a lot of military vehicles on display. But there is also plenty to see outside the museum in the surrounding park and the square with shops and terraces. You can book your tickets for the museum in advance here.
Lourdes cave
Our last stop before we go back to Eindhoven is in the village of Mariahout at a faithful copy of the true Lourdes cave. Maybe you also want to pay your respect to all the fallen during operation Market Garden by lighting a candle.
Go on your own QUAZY RIDE
You can download the GPX / ITN files of the rides and the full e-books via our roadtrip planner and then we hope you will enjoy the rides you will be doing in this Quazy Rides Market Garden tour and your stay in Eindhoven.
If you are posting on social media, don't forget to tag Quazy Rides or use the #QuazyRides, because we LOVE to see you having fun with our rides.
