Discover Bladel: Holiday apartments amid nature, culture and cycling routes

Bladel can be discovered through paths, landscapes and places of remembrance. A longer hiking route connects the five villages of the municipality of Bladel. The “Verbindende route 25-jarig jubileum gemeente Bladel” is 24 km long and leads through extensive meadows, along streams, as well as through forests, wetlands, heathland and charming villages.

Nature and paths

The Dal van de Groote Beerze is a 298-hectare nature reserve managed by Brabants Landschap. It includes several areas in the valley of the Groote Beerze between Bladel, Hapert, Casteren, Netersel and Westelbeers. In the stream valley of the Groote Beerze, there is a boardwalk as well as footbridges and bicycle bridges.

The “Ommetje Hapert” walking route runs along the Ecozone and through the countryside around Hapert, with views over fields. During periods of high water levels, the Ecozone may be temporarily flooded. At Landgoed Ten Vorsel, cycling and hiking are possible on an estate with a long history of hospitality. The Heksenboom, a monumental beech tree on Landgoed Ten Vorsel dating from around 1890, also stands there. Its name is associated with the legend of Zwarte Kaat.

Cycling

The Bladel MTB route is 33.8 km long, marked with green international MTB signs and rated blue as moderately difficult. “Bladel herinnert” is a 35 km cycling route along notable sites from the Second World War and starts at Visit Bladel.

“Onze Boeren in Beeld” is an app-based cycling tour through the municipalities of Bladel and Reusel-De Mierden. At various farms, QR codes provide audiovisual insights into local food production. Kabouterberg Koning Kyrie Hoogeloon is a stop on the “Kabouter Kyrië” cycling route. The Kabouterberg, also known as Zwarte berg and Zwartenberg, is a Bronze Age burial mound northwest of Hoogeloon in the municipality of Bladel and is among the largest burial mounds in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Culture and history

In Netersel stands the H.H. Antonius en St. Brigidakerk, with a stone baptismal font from the 15th century. The church also has two bells, cast by Jaspar Moer in 1529 and 1530, respectively. In Bladel, the Maggiblokje commemorates a day laborer's cottage from 1850. The building is 6 meters wide, 5 meters deep and 4 meters high, and is now a municipal monument.

The Heemkunde Pladella Villa conveys the past and present of the municipality of Bladel. The Heemkamer Pladella Villa is open on Wednesdays and by appointment. The older history includes the Romeinse Villa, a stone villa with underfloor heating and bathing facilities.

In Hapert, the Graanmolen Hapert continues to mill grain and corn. When volunteer millers operate it, it is opened to visitors. The mill is a round stone tower mill of the ground-sailor type; it is considered the only mill of this type in the south of Noord-Brabant.

The storytelling tradition is also connected with specific places. Kabouterkoning Kyrië is a folk tale from Hoogeloon in Noord-Brabant. The Kabouterkoning-Kyrië adventure trail is a free family trail of approximately 2.5 km through the Koebosch in Hoogeloon.

Views and surroundings

The Mariatoren is an approximately 22-metre-high observation tower and information point. From there, the view extends over, among other things, the Cartierheide, De Pan, the industrial park, the motorway and the border with Belgium. The Mariatoren is located at exit 29 of the A67 and can be reached from De Pan in Hapert on foot or by bicycle.

Regional specialities

Kaasboerderij De Ruurhoeve offers a cheese-making workshop. The Ruurhoeve farm shop sells its own cheese as well as regional products, local beers and wines. Thus, alongside paths, landscapes and history, the Bladel area also offers insights into local food production and its products.

More local pages: Hapert, Bladel, Hoogeloon, Netersel.

For the overview of the wider travel destination: North Brabant.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Veghel, Sint-Michielsgestel, Dongen, Boxtel.