Station no 48 was Heeze. On the line between Roermond and Eindhoven. I cancelled my plans for any onwards travel to Eindhoven as I cycled around discovering what Heeze has to offer. Started with a nice lunch on the terrace near the station. I cycled around checking out the pretty thatched houses, impeccably neat farms,  visited the 17th Century Heeze Castle and ended up on a nice trip around the Strabrechtse Heide. The Heide is a heathland full of beautiful heather and the distinctive twisting trunks of juniper trees. A mild heathland not sweeping or dramatic but certainly a unique and refreshing view after a year of no train trips! 

Station no 47 Maarheeze may not actually have a station house but it represents the first station I have visited after lockdown and for that reason I am very happy to have visited Maarheeze. I brought my bike with me so I can roam around the area. I found myself on Kerkstraat and found some monuments along Kerkstraat near the old school house and St. Gertrudis  church . I finally peddled back to station via the stocked fishing pond. 

Station No.46 Helmond Brandevoort was designed in line with the surrounding neighbourhood. The neighbourhood was built to resemble a fortress the station with its dual platform looks like a gate entrance to this fortress.  The windy cycle and walking paths by the canals  and long grass that surround this suburb do well to disguise the fact that a lot of people live in this small area.  

  Continuing my travels around Brabant I cycled from Helmond station to Helmond t'Hout. Helmond has more stations that I realised (Helmond Brouhuis, Helmond, Helmond 'tHout and Helmond Brandevoort). As I cycled I passed the RailCam which you can watch live here  . I continued my journey towards Helmond Brandevoort

Arrived into Helmond via bike from Station No.43 Helmond Brouhuis. Sitting proudly it feels like it is on a pedestal - opposite the tax office it looks out on - it has all the usual facilities (Kiosk, flowers, café etc). Headed to the Cacaofabriek for some sustenance (visual- gallery viewing and chocolate!) and ventured further on a mini-tour of Helmond where I visited the Medieval castle and cycled along the Kanaaldijk Zuid-West and saw the textile factories some like Vlisco still in operation others look less in use.  Helmond has a real authentic feel about it. 

 I arrived here via Sprinter train from Deurne. With my trusty bike  I had a cycle around the suburbs of Bruihuis and then crossed over Zuid-Willemsvaart and peddled towards Helmond. This canal was in use from the 1830's and helped along the industrialisation of Helmond which was already known as a metal and textile hub

  Station No. 42 took me to a place in Brabant called Deurne. I didn't know much about Deurne before cycling around there, but soon discovered t he beautiful house  of the local GP and expressionist painter Henrik Wiedersma, which was a treat to find as it now houses some of his paintings and works of his avant-garde friends. The exhibition I saw, was one of his son Pieter Wiedersma.  A few minutes from this house the ruins of a 14th Century Gothic castle lay on some nice park grounds and make a nice spot for a coffee break.

Cuijk A small place with a long history - this town is dominated by the twin peaks of the Neo Gothic St Martin Church which looks out over the Mass and if a nice spot for a ramble along by the river.

Boxmeer Station No 40. Boxmeer, I cycled here from Cuijk on a grey day (brightened up by mini pancaked at the pancake house)  keeping the twin towers of  St. Martins Cathedral behind me and the Mass river beside me I cycled past German bunkers and farmhouses and cornfields. The destination was a castle  on the opposite side of town to Boxmeer rail station. Looks like it is now a care home with beautifully kept grounds and a lot of life around the area.

Vierlingsbeek My first post-covid lockdown trip and a new province - North Brabant. I brought the bike (bike tickets have increased to  € 7.50) and cycled from the station, which is tucked away west of Vierlingsbeek through the village.  Opposite the station is a nice looking restaurant/cafe perfect location for waiting on the next train and a busy pancake house - I bypassed these and headed for the watermill, passing some pretty houses along the way. According to all the info you can read by the mill there has been a mill on this site since 1446!