De Mortel: Village history, nature and hiking trails
Accommodation in De Mortel
De Mortel combines a historic village centre with an agricultural landscape of forests, fields and stream valleys. It is worth distinguishing between enduring features of the village and scheduled events and bookable farm experiences.
Village centre and local history
The historic village centre is defined by a triangular square, also known as the “plaetse.” The Sint Antonius Abt Church was built in 1904 to a design by Caspar Franssen. The present-day church is a neo-Gothic red-brick building with bands of yellow brick. De Mortel also has two old school buildings worth seeing.
Another historic feature is Paal Achter 't Zand, an old boundary post between Gemert and Bakel. It is located in a sandy area of shifting dunes. The village’s points of interest therefore include not only its architectural history, but also a named remnant of earlier boundaries and its landscape setting.
Cycling and hiking routes
De Mortel has numerous cycling and hiking trails. The distinction between the two explicitly named routes makes it easy to choose between the activities: the Mortels Ommetje is a cycling route, while the Trage Tocht de Mortel is a hiking route. The Mortels Ommetje passes through the Stippelberg nature area.
The version of the Trage Tocht de Mortel described on 12 May 2026 starts at the Sint Antonius Abt Church. In this version of the route, a narrow hiking path runs alongside the surprisingly winding Esperloop heathland stream. Conditions on the wet path may vary in the route version described on 12 May 2026; check the trail conditions before your outing. At the Peelrandbreuk near Hogen Aarle, the height difference it creates is two metres over a distance of 100 metres.
Peregrine falcons at the transmission mast
The history of the transmission mast can also be put in chronological order. In spring 2004, a pair of peregrine falcons first settled at and around De Mortel’s 127-metre-high transmission mast. In 2005, a pair successfully nested there for the first time. The site was the first nesting site in the Netherlands where a pair of peregrine falcons could be watched live in their nest; it may also have been the first in Europe. From 2005 onwards, it was possible to follow the falcons’ activities and the young birds growing up live on the internet.
Fair and farm experiences
The annual fair takes place on the weekend of the last Sunday in June. As the exact dates may vary from year to year, check the date in advance for your travel year.
At Op Den Hoek, you can book a tour and/or tasting of the nature-inclusive farm and the cheeses made there. The farm organises various seasonal activities throughout the year and has a cheese café for visitors. Before visiting, check which tour or tasting dates are available to book and which seasonal activities are taking place at the time of your visit.
Discover more destinations: Bakel, Elsendorp, Gemert, De Rips, Handel, Milheeze.
Go to the main travel overview: Gemert-Bakel.
