Kempen Tour from Hilvarenbeek

You cycle to Netersel, one of the so-called Eight Beatitudes: Eersel, Duizel, Steensel, Knegsel, Wintelre, Reusel, Hulsel, and Netersel. In the past, they were called 'de selligheden', or 'the beatitudes'. Dutch soldiers stationed here during the Belgian Revolution mockingly called the villages 'de wretchednesses'. The beautiful old villages are typical of the Brabant Kempen region with their many long-gabled farmhouses. Next, you ride a short distance across the De Utrecht Estate. It was developed in 1898 as a financial investment by the life insurance company De Utrecht, hence the name. It is now a delightful place to cycle through the vast and varied forests.