Strolling through a turbulent border region

Near the village of Reusel you can enjoy a lovely walk through the wooded border area between North Brabant and Belgium. You start the walk on the Kroonvense Heide. From there you walk through pine forests, but also past grasslands and arable lands. There used to be a heathland area here that was partly reclaimed. Here and there you walk through undeveloped heathlands and past fens such as the Kroonven and the Neerven.

The Great Circle
A few kilometers past the Kroonven you cross the Dutch-Belgian border. You walk a bit through the Reuzelsbos and then you literally walk across the border for a while. Back in the Netherlands you walk across the Peelse Heide, a reclamation area full of Scots pines. You will also pass the Groote Cirkel, a circular road. This road was an important landmark for pilots during the Second World War, because the road is so easy to see from the air.

The Kroonvense Heide
Before the 20th century, the Kroonvense Heide was still a real heathland area. Nowadays you see little of this anymore, because part of the area was converted into agricultural land and the other part of the heath was planted with pine trees. This area consists of three fens that are connected to each other. The water is littered with water lilies, sundew and other special vegetation. In the south the heath merges into the De Kempen nature reserve.