Smuggling route: Baarle-Nassau and the Bels Line

This cycle tour runs through the green border area below Breda and Tilburg. The vast and dense forests here used to offer sufficient opportunities to cross the border unnoticed.

Chaam Forests
First you drive to Gilze and then through the Chaamse Bossen. This was once a rough area with sand drifts and wet heathland, but between 1900 and 1935 the area was reclaimed. The fens were drained and where the area was too wet, grasslands were created. Many Scots pines were also planted. The result is a surprisingly varied forest.

Anneville Coach House
You will also pass the Anneville Coach House. The building played an important role in the Second World War: Prince Bernhard and King Wilhelmina both stayed there. It is said that the queen learned of the capitulation of the Germans in the Netherlands here. You will cross the border between the Netherlands and Belgium several times, including in the enclave village of Baarle-Nassau. It is not difficult to see why this area used to be so popular with smugglers! The Bels Lijntje takes you back to your starting point.