Turf route

In the Belgian-Dutch border area between Essen and Zundert you drive from one special nature reserve to another. Jump on the saddle and experience the natural beauty and striking tranquility here.

The Mates
From Nieuwmoer you can drive to De Maatjes in no time, a unique cross-border nature reserve with reed fields, swamp forests and wet meadows. What immediately stands out here: the silence! In Horendonk you drive along the leafy banks of the Roosendaalse Vaart: a centuries-old canal over which peat was transported to the market in Roosendaal. The next nature reserve will not be long in coming. In the Horendonkse Bossen you drive between the fragrant conifers. It will not surprise you that many smuggling routes once ran here.

Wallsteijn estate
After crossing the border, you will pass the Wallsteijn Estate with its conifers, old oak avenues and hedgerows. Via the church village of Achtmaal, which is surrounded by tree nurseries, you drive back into Belgium, back to De Maatjes. There is a 7 meter high observation tower here that offers you a beautiful panorama. Next to this tower, a piece of the Death Wire from the First World War has been reconstructed. A peat pole has also been placed that indicates the former thickness of the peat layer.