Unlimited Unimog experience: UCG annual meeting: September 11 to 13 in Wilbertoord (Netherlands)
Text: John and Jordy van Dijk | Photos: De PeeltuIers and Jordy van Dijk
Experience Dutch hospitality: That’s what the 2026 annual meeting of the Unimog Club Gaggenau is all about on the weekend of September 11 to 13. This is made possible by the partnership between the UCG and De Peeltuhers, a club for historic tractors. Together we are organizing the event “Wilbertoord Pakt Uut 2026”. Whether you are a member or not (yet) a member: all MB-trac and Unimog fans are cordially invited to Wilbertoord. The town is located in the southeast of the Netherlands in the province of Noordbrabant, less than 40 kilometers from the German border.
Program
A unique Unimog and MB-trac world of experience is on offer. You can look forward to a Unimog museum with many vehicles on display. There will be action on the demonstration area and spare parts can be found at the stands of numerous dealers.
But Wilbertoord Pakt Uut offers much more – and above all a program for every age group. In addition to MB-trac and Unimog, historic vehicles of other makes will be on display. There will be exciting competitions such as Hobby Pulling & Cross, in which tractors have to pull a heavy brake van. Regional products will be on sale at a trade market.
Whether rock, pop or brass band music: bands play live on various stages. Three festival evenings are also planned. On Friday, dirndls and lederhosen are expressly encouraged, as German classics from the 80s and 90s will be played. On Saturday, cover bands from the surrounding villages provide live music to ensure a good atmosphere. On Sunday, there will be more party music to round off the day. Children can let off steam on Hüpsurgen and test quad bikes. On Sunday morning there is a church service in the marquee. A hot air balloon festival is planned for the finale on Sunday evening.
Catering & overnight stay
Food and drinks will be provided on the festival grounds: a team of volunteers will provide a wide variety of food. In addition, the UCG will also offer breakfast, lunch and dinner separately. All details can be found on the registration form. Only on Thursday evening and Monday morning will you have to resort to the cafés and restaurants in the surrounding villages.
If you want to arrive earlier or extend your stay, there are numerous campsites in the area. Directly in Wilbertoord are the Boerderijcamping run by the Gieben farming family (www.boerderijcampinggieben.nl) as well as Camping Boszicht (www.campingboszicht.nl) and Minicamping ‘t Amans(www.amans.nl).
Excursions & round trip
A 40-kilometre tour of the region is being organized for Saturday. There are three departures spread out over the day; registration takes place on site. Along the route there will be a refreshment stop with food (hamburgers) and drinks. There are also many excursion destinations in the vicinity of Wilbertoord. It is only 19 kilometers to the Overloon War Museum (www.oorlogsmuseum.nl) and 14 kilometers to the historic fortified town of Grave (www.visitlandvancuijk. com). The Sporen van de Oorlog and De Kuilen areas are ideal for hiking. Destinations for children are the amusement parks De Bergen (www.avonturenparkdebergen.nl) and Billy-Bird Hemelrijk (www.billybird.nl) as well as the zoos in Overloon (www.zooparc.nl) and Uden (www.dierenparkziezoo.nl). Pure relaxation is offered by a wellness boat with 41 sauna and spa areas (www.wellnesshotelbrabant.nl).
Arrival
Wethouder Lindersstraat 88a
5455 GN Wilbertoord
Netherlands
The fairground is open from Thursday, September 10, 5:00 pm to Monday, September 14, 10:00 am. The site will close at 22:00 in the evening. There are plenty of showers and toilets on the site as well as a disposal station for chemical toilets. Groups can set up together on the site, but should register this in good time by e-mail (john.vandijk@unimog-club-gaggenau.de). There is a petrol station (De Haan, Millseweg 25) and a supermarket (Albert Heijn, Lepelstraat 1) in the neighboring village of Wanroij.
The Netherlands is planning to introduce a truck toll on July 1. Motorhomes of the “camper van (SA)” type that are registered outside the Netherlands are generally not subject to the toll. Vehicles that are both older than 40 years and used exclusively for private purposes are also exempt from the toll. If both conditions are met, such a vehicle only needs to be registered online in advance for exemption.
All other vehicles in categories N2 and N3 (trucks with a technically permissible maximum mass of more than 3.5 tons) are subject to tolls. Therefore, a toll device from a Dutch or European provider must be present in the vehicle and switched on, regardless of whether toll roads are actually used. However, it is possible to cross the German-Dutch border from Goch without using toll roads via the route N291 => N271 => N264.
Further information: www.vrachtwagenheffing.nl
Registration form
Click here for the PDF form.
