Discover De Rips: Nature, History and Holiday Apartments

De Rips combines a varied forest landscape with places where the history of the village and its surroundings can be traced. Stippelberg is a large nature area near De Rips, with avenues near the country house and rhododendrons. Its numerous hills in the forest are dunes formed by drifting sand. In this landscape, you may encounter or hear roe deer and woodpeckers.

Nature around your holiday apartment in De Rips

Different route lengths are available as a guide when planning days of hiking. The Landgoed Stippelberg walking route near De Rips is 7.5 km long, passes stately avenues near the country house and offers lines of sight and views over a herb-rich meadow. The Ripse Boswandelroute is approximately 11 km long and runs through forest and nature areas. The address of the Werkschuur De Rips is Stippelberg 1, 5764 PA De Rips.

Traces of war and landscape history

The war memorial in De Rips commemorates the crash of a Lancaster bomber belonging to the British Royal Air Force, as well as Mayor Wijtvliet, who died in a concentration camp. It stands on Burgemeester Wijtvlietlaan in De Rips, in the municipality of Gemert-Bakel. The Klotterpeel contains the last remains of the zigzag trenches constructed in 1939, shortly before the Second World War, which formed part of the Dutch defences. The last surviving sections of the Koordekanaal are located in the Klotterpeel and Beestenveld.

Paths, forest and remembrance

The Oude Handwijzer Klotterpeel is connected to a historic crossroads where centuries-old sandy paths intersected. A signpost was already marked there on topographic maps from around 1850. The present-day signpost was erected near the original location in 2011 as a lasting memorial. On the edge of the forests of De Rips stands the Bosmuseum, a hand-built open-air museum made of wood. Information panels explain how the area changed from heathland into forest and how the village of De Rips came into being. Old newspaper photographs there show the reclamation of the land, first using six oxen and later large steam ploughs.

Architecture and distinctive local stories

The Heilige Margaretha Maria Alacoquekerk is a modern church built in 1965 by L.C. van de Lee, with a unique saddle-shaped roof. De Rips has characteristic foresters’ houses as well as larger farmsteads with an unusual architectural style. Villa Ledeboer was built in 1942 as a house in the forest for the owner and his family to stay in and is still completely authentic. The traditional country house combines English and German influences with timber-clad gables. The Kapel Maria van Liefde was built in 1994 after a resident of the care home had a near-death experience in 1990 and a vision of Mary.

In Beestenveld, more modern forest management has led to greater diversity in flora and fauna since 1979. When choosing a holiday apartment in De Rips, you can therefore weigh up nature observation, forest trails of varying lengths and historical themes. The landscape of Stippelberg and the places in Klotterpeel, Beestenveld and De Rips offer different focal points for your planning, without requiring nature and culture to be considered separately.

More places for planning your trip

Other destinations for your research include Gemert, De Mortel, Handel, Bakel, Elsendorp and Milheeze.

For the overarching travel overview: Gemert-Bakel.