Neerpelt, Nature reserve De Malpie and Leende

After a nice bike ride through the woods, it's soon time for a bite to eat and a drink. In the inn of the Sint-Benedictusabdij, better known as the Achelse Kluis, tempting things are on the menu. Achelse Trappist of course, but also Trappist ice cream with real butter. From the inn you can look through a large window at the spacious stainless steel tanks in the brewery. They work with the recipes of Brother Thomas, who earned his spurs in the Trappist monasteries of Westmalle, Westvleteren and Orval. Sounding names for beer lovers - Westvleteren is perhaps less well-known to most people, but a few years ago it was voted the best beer in the world. For the Achelse Kluis, Brother Thomas knew exactly what it had to be: a light and thirst-quenching beer that still tastes characteristic enough. A pure beer, fitting the simple character of the abbey, without artificial flavourings or sugar. The land on which the abbey stands has been a religious place for centuries. In 1656, a border chapel was built here in the vicinity. It was the aftermath of the religious wars. Catholics from Protestant Netherlands were allowed to hold their religious services here, just across the border. In the 17th century, Petrus van Eijnatten from Eindhoven founded a community of hermits: the Achelse Kluis. The Trappist monks of Westmalle founded the Sint-Benedictus Abbey on this site in 1846. The small community of monks that remains today now relies on the sale of Achels Trappist beer for its income. The abbey cannot be visited and the church is only accessible to attend the services. The beautiful reception chapel next to the entrance to the guest house in the forecourt is accessible. Take a look before you leave. The Achelse Kluis is located on the border between the Netherlands and Belgium, the border line runs right across the driveway. The abbey is located in a remote corner, as befits hermits. All around you will find vast natural areas. We only have to cross the road and we drive into the Leenderbos, a large forest and heathland area that runs from the abbey all the way to the road between Leende and Valkenswaard, 7 kilometres away. Until the 1970s, the Achelse Kluis was a large agricultural company that employed around 100 monks, who provided a good income. When this became increasingly unprofitable, the brewery was founded to create new sources of income. Most of the agricultural land was sold to the Flemish Region and the State Forestry Service at the end of the twentieth century, depending on the country where the land was located. The old agricultural land was largely returned to nature. For example, the canalised river Tongelreep was filled in to make way for a naturally meandering stream. But in the Leenderbos you can still find a number of old'kampkes\\\': the former fields on the heath, surrounded by walls of oak that had to protect the crops from cattle and drifting sand. The Malpie nature reserve further away is very different from the Leenderbos, much wetter and more undulating. The sand ridges date from the Ice Age. The wind then blew the sand away in some places, to blow it into a pile further away. In this way a whole series of small hills were created, with beautiful pools in the hollows. Meandering over the cycle paths you have a different view of it every time. You cycle back to the starting point past Neerpelt.