Luyksgestel smuggling route

With this 28-kilometre cycle route you will discover Nellie's smuggling past. The route starts in the pleasant centre of Luyksgestel and takes you along the highest natural point of North Brabant to then cross the border and the canal towards the Belgian city of Lommel. Then try to cross the border unnoticed along the customs house and cycle the smuggling path to outsmart the customs officers. Watch out for the crow's foot in the centre of Luyksgestel and end your cycle tour with a nice snack and drink on the terrace.

Nellie from Luyksgestel looks back on her smuggling past. At a young age, she innocently started smuggling packets of butter to earn a sweet. But later in life, smuggling products became a necessity for daily maintenance. Together with her brother Toon and his friends, Nellie came up with various plans to get butter and cigarettes across the border. This was not enough for her brother Toon. He decided to get a calf across the border on his own, but was caught and had to go to jail for a few weeks. Nellie absolutely did not want this to happen again and from that moment on made sure that she would make the plan from now on. But is it still so innocent? Or is it going from bad to worse? Read the full route story and jump on your bike!

Stories at the Border

Stories at the Border routes show the versatility of the province of Brabant in a unique way. Brabant is located on the border of the Netherlands and Belgium as well as between the provinces of Limburg, Zeeland, South Holland and Gelderland. The border has a rich history with stories about smuggling, closed borders and borderless collaborations. It is not without reason that this border has always played an important role in the lives of the people of Brabant. Experience routes that have been developed within this theme show the story around the Brabant border and the limitless character of the province. View them all via visitbrabant.com/verhalenaandegrens .

Visit Luyksgestel and Bergeijk

The Luyksgestel Village Council was founded in 1999 with the aim of improving the quality of life in the village. For example, the village council is committed to various cultural activities. The Luyksgestel Smuggling Route is an initiative of the Luyksgestel Village Council in collaboration with the Municipality of Bergeijk. In Luyksgestel and Lommel, there are various monuments and places that remind us of the smuggling past. Would you like to discover more in Bergeijk and the surrounding area? Visit visitbergeijk.nl .

About this route

This cycle route was created by VisitBrabant Routebureau . The route was set out using the Brabant cycle junction system. Simply cycle from one numbered junction to another. Arrows will show you the way between the junctions. Is there something wrong with the signposting of the route? Let us know via visitbrabant.com/meldpunt . You can also call 0800-4050050 (free).