Enjoy the surroundings of Poppel

The starting point for this international cycling tour is Poppel, located in a Belgian part of the country that protrudes into the Netherlands. It will come as no surprise that this area used to be very popular with smugglers.

From Poppel you can walk a smugglers route that runs on and along the border. On your bike you will cross the route every now and then, for example at the border crossing at Groot-Bedaf.

The area exudes great tranquility. Far away from the big cities, you will find mostly farmlands with beautiful farms. The town of Alphen provides a pleasant break. It may not be large, but there is still plenty to see that reminds us of the past of this border town. For example, you will find the Oudheidkundig streekmuseum Alphen there. This is located in a picturesque white church that used to belong to a Protestant community. In this Catholic region, the church was a rare sight. It was mainly the customs and military police personnel who had to guard the border who went to church here.

Once you have passed Alphen, you turn off to the Belse lijntje. This is an old railway line that once served for passenger and freight transport but was completely dismantled in the seventies of the last century. You start following this track in Alphen, from an elongated white-painted building that is reminiscent of the former station. This is also the only building on this route that still has a railway or tramway past. The track goes through wonderfully quiet farmlands, fields and along streams where no motorist can come. Only at Riel do you turn off the track again and follow the 'normal' road towards Goirle.

You leave the city on your left and follow the route through a wonderfully large nature reserve south of Goirle. The Regte Heide, together with the Riels Hoefke, Halve Maan, Ooijevaarsnest and Nieuwkerk, forms a contiguous nature reserve of 876 ha, consisting of heathland, a marshy stream valley, deciduous and coniferous forests. This actually flows seamlessly into the Gorp en Roovert estate, a private estate (1200 ha) that is accessible to the public. The area is beautifully varied, with old deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests, cultivated lands, heathland, fens and the meandering Rovertse Leij over a length of five kilometres. So you are back in Poppel before you know it.