Back to the past in the Heldense forests

Beautiful pieces of history
The conifers in the Heldense forests do not occur naturally in the area. They were planted on drifting sand areas at the beginning of the 20th century. In this area, beautiful pieces of history have also been preserved, such as a landweert, a raised earthen wall that was planted with thorny bushes to keep out gangs of robbers. You will also cycle past De Borcht castle. The castle is surrounded by a moat and has a main wing with two lower side wings on either side. The castle is not open to the public, except when exhibitions are held. At the castle you will also find an old castle mill, which was used to grind grain.

Sandton Château De Raay
Do you want to end your bike ride in style? That is no problem, because Sandton Château De Raay is the end point of this route. Here you can treat yourself to a culinary dinner in the accompanying restaurant De Wintertuin. You can spend the night in a luxury hotel room, but also in a castle room or a suite.

The Kessel Mountains
The Kesselse Bergen consisted of heathlands and drifting dunes thousands of years ago. At the beginning of the 20th century, trees were planted here, which changed the landscape. Among these trees, forest partisans were hidden in a shelter with German prisoners of war during the Second World War. After ten weeks, the prisoners of war were handed over to the Allies. In the forests of the Kesselse Bergen there is still a memorial stone dedicated to the partisans from Baarlo. In the Kempke park in Baarlo there is a resistance monument in honor of these resistance fighters.