Smugglers’ Route Luyksgestel
Discover the smuggling history of Nellie from Luyksgestel on this 28-kilometre cycle route.
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This cycle route is 28 kilometres long and takes you through Nellie’s smuggling history. The route starts in the charming centre of Luyksgestel, takes you past the highest natural point in North Brabant and then crosses the border and the canal towards the Belgian city of Lommel. See if you can sneak back over the border past the customs officers’ house without being seen and cycle along the smugglers’ path to outsmart the customs officers. Watch out for the crow’s feet in the centre of Luyksgestel and end your cycle trip with a tasty snack and drink at a pavement café.
Border Stories
Border stories demonstrate the versatility of the region of Nor…
This cycle route is 28 kilometres long and takes you through Nellie’s smuggling history. The route starts in the charming centre of Luyksgestel, takes you past the highest natural point in North Brabant and then crosses the border and the canal towards the Belgian city of Lommel. See if you can sneak back over the border past the customs officers’ house without being seen and cycle along the smugglers’ path to outsmart the customs officers. Watch out for the crow’s feet in the centre of Luyksgestel and end your cycle trip with a tasty snack and drink at a pavement café.
Border Stories
Border stories demonstrate the versatility of the region of North Brabant in a unique manner. North Brabant is located on the border of the Netherlands and Belgium and between the provinces of Limburg, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland and Gelderland. The border has a rich history with stories about smugglers, closed borders and borderless collaborations. There is a reason why this border has always played an important role in the life of the people of Brabant. Experience routes that have been developed with this theme tell the story of the Brabant border and the unlimited nature of the region. View them all via visitbrabant.com/en.
Visit Luyksgestel and Bergeijk
The Dorpsraad Luyksgestel (Luyksgestel Village Council) was established in 1999 with the aim of improving liveability in the village. The village council organises various cultural activities, among other things. Smugglers’ route Luyksgestel is an initiative of De Dorpsraad Luyksgestel in collaboration with the Municipality of Bergeijk. Luyksgestel and Lommel have various monuments and places that testify to the smuggling history. Find out more about Bergeijk and surrounding area at visitbergeijk.nl.
About this route
This cycle route was created by VisitBrabant Routebureau. The route was laid out via the North Brabant bicycle junction system. Simply cycle from one numbered junction to the next. Arrows show you the way between the junctions. If you encounter a problem with the route’s signposting, please report this to us via visitbrabant.com/meldpunt. You can also call 0800-4050050 (free of charge).
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Hotline routesIf there is something wrong on the route, report it here.
Sights on this route
De Drie Linden
The beautiful village of Luyksgestel, known for its many, well-maintained hiking and cycle routes, is located in the centre of Kempen. This village is a must if you are going for a bicycle ride in this part of North Brabant.
Starting point:
Rijt 25575 CD Luyksgestel
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De Grenswachter Bakery Museum
At De Grenswachter bakery museum in Luyksgestel, you can get to know Brabant and its unique pastry delights. Join one of their workshops and learn to make Brabant’s famous sausage rolls for yourself, enjoy your own homemade crumb flan.
Starting point:
Bakkerijmuseum De GrenswachterKapellerweg 15
5575 BC Luyksgestel
De Grenswachter Bakery Museum
De Grenswachter Bakery Museum
Bakkerijmuseum De Grenswachter
Kapellerweg 15
5575 BC Luyksgestel
The Hell
The Hell (De Hel) was originally a bar in Boscheind in Luyksgestel.
Starting point:
PostelscheheidewegBoscheind
Boundary marker 191 and the highest point of North Brabant
At boundary marker 191 you stand on the highest natural point in North Brabant.
Starting point:
Zwarte HorstLuyksgestel
Boundary marker 191 and the highest point of North Brabant
Boundary marker 191 and the highest point of North Brabant
Zwarte Horst
Luyksgestel
The ‘Bocholt-Herentals’ canal
The Bocholt-Herentals canal is also known locally as the Kempisch Kanaal or Maas-Scheldekanaal
Starting point:
GestelsedijkLommel
Café De Kroon
Café De Kroon opened its doors in 1902, making it the oldest bar in Lommel.
Starting point:
Molsekiezel 23920 Lommel
Customs officers’ house
A house that was available for Belgian customs officers while they were working in this region.
Starting point:
LuikersteenwegLommel
De Hutten
Important short-cut for smugglers from 1830–1970.
Starting point:
HuttenLuyksgestel
Crow’s feet monument
Crow’s feet monument reminds Luyksgestel people and other border residents of smuggling.
Starting point:
Dorpstraat 79Luyksgestel
De Drie Linden
The beautiful village of Luyksgestel, known for its many, well-maintained hiking and cycle routes, is located in the centre of Kempen. This village is a must if you are going for a bicycle ride in this part of North Brabant.
Starting point:
Rijt 25575 CD Luyksgestel
Navigate to endpoint
Story of the route
De Drie Linden
The beautiful village of Luyksgestel, known for its many, well-maintained hiking and cycle routes, is located in the centre of Kempen. This village is a must if you are going for a bicycle ride in this part of North Brabant.
Starting point:
Rijt 25575 CD Luyksgestel
Navigate to starting point
I am Nellie. My surname is not important. As a young girl, I often went with my uncle and little brother, Toon, on the bike to Belgium to play. I always wore the same dress with special pockets. They fit four packets of butter which I could sell in Belgium. When we returned with our pockets full of cigarettes, we had to keep an eye on the windmill blades. When I was nine it almost went wrong. We had already come back over the border and in the distance, we could see the blades of the windmill were still and askew. That was the sign that a customs officer was nearby. Fortunately, Toon and I knew what to do: cycle! And both in different directions. When I arrived at the agreed spot via the detour, I saw my brother grinning with pink Bazooka bubble gum in his mouth. He had one for me in his hand. We were brought up with smuggling here.
When we were older, we regularly organised evenings to earn a bit of extra money. We would gather at Café ‘De Hel’. Everyone would put as many packets of butter as they could in a sack. It was a risk of course, but I had a plan. I would walk far ahead of the rest of the group with my own sack. I was careful but purposefully not careful enough. When we crossed the border, a customs officer appeared at the edge of the forest. My sack fell to the ground with a thud; it was full of straw. I was innocent but my heart was in my throat. The customs officer immediately realised that he had been deceived and went to search for the rest. They were long gone of course. That is how we outsmarted customs.
Unfortunately, Toon did not always listen to his big sister. One day, Toon met a Belgian who wanted Dutch calves. They could earn you a lot of money in those days. But even before I could come up with a plan, Toon had gone over the border with a calf in a wheelbarrow. Once he arrived at the canal, Toon was going to put the calf in a knapsack, throw a rope to the other side and the Belgian would pull it over to him. Toon flashed his torch at the other side and a torch flashed back at him dozens of metres to the left. Staring at the other side so as not to forget the right place, Toon made his way there with the calf. Before he was able to get the calf into the knapsack, two customs officers collared him. They caught him red handed. He was locked up for three weeks. On the evening Toon returned, he wanted to organise the next trip straight away. But this time, I made a plan.
Our group got to the old bar in Lommel without a problem. We delivered the butter and filled the same duffle bag with cartons of cigarettes. As agreed on the way back we walked past the custom officers’ houses to leave them a little something. Smuggling had drastically changed in all those years. The customs officers had their hands full with ‘the big boys’. We just needed a little bit of extra income for daily necessities, and they were mainly focused on the bigger criminals. Although it had never really gone wrong until now, we were smuggling more and more things over the border and I wondered whether it was still worth the risk.
I should not really tell you what I am about to say, but I had to help my brother before it all went wrong again. Toon had taken the car to Belgium to pick up load of cigarettes. A friend of his, Janus, was waiting in Belgium between the canal and the border. As Toon arrived with the car, Janus would get off his bike and create a diversion by cycling towards the border post with two large car headlights attached to his bike. It must have been quite an odd sight for the customs officers; two large headlights that would turn on to a sandy path before the border and then go out. The customs officers immediately went after them and Toon could reach the border post quietly and unseen. But then it went wrong. Janus got stuck in the sand. The customs officers caught on to the trick and just managed to see the silhouette of Toon’s car at the border. They turned around their patrol car and chased after Toon.
Meanwhile, I had been waiting in our shed for Toon when the sound of sirens broke the silence. Toon came speeding up, with the customs officers at his heels. As soon as Toon had gone by, I quickly threw a bag of sharp iron crow’s feet across the road. The patrol car containing the officers screeched to a halt when they drove over the crow’s feet. I watched for a moment but could not see any movement in the car. I will never forget that day. That was the last time I was involved in smuggling. Of course, we still go to Belgium at times to fill up the car or get some fireworks but that is innocent.
De Drie Linden
The beautiful village of Luyksgestel, known for its many, well-maintained hiking and cycle routes, is located in the centre of Kempen. This village is a must if you are going for a bicycle ride in this part of North Brabant.
Starting point:
Rijt 25575 CD Luyksgestel
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