Smuggling route: Baarle-Nassau and the Bels Lijntje

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

Carriage House Anneville
You will also pass Koetshuis Anneville. 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 heard here about the capitulation of the Germans in the Netherlands. You cross the border between the Netherlands and Belgium a number of times, including in the enclave village of Baarle-Nassau. It's not hard to see why this area used to be so popular with smugglers! The Bels Lijntje will take you back to your starting point.