About the Cartierheide

Border park De Kempen is a true hiking paradise, with wild heathland and vast forests. This route takes you to the beautiful Cartierheide.

Cartierheide
The Cartier Heath is a wild heathland landscape with many damp areas. The white water crowfoot blooms beautifully in the spring and on the heath you may come across the slow worm or the smooth snake - don't worry, they are not poisonous. Napoleon left his mark on the Cartier Heath and the forests were for centuries the terrain of smugglers, who brought buns with butter and cigarettes across the border in the dark.

Eight Beatitudes
You also walk along the edge of Eersel, one of the Eight Beatitudes. Life was not always good in the Brabant country around Eersel. Dutch soldiers who were stationed here in 1830 thought it was a poor place. They mockingly called the villages ending in -sel the selligheden, or Beatitudes. Nowadays it is certainly'wonderful\\\' here: as you will notice back at your starting point, De Keizer food & drinks!