Holiday apartment in Leende: nature, cycling routes and local history

Leende combines the protected Leenderbos with cycling routes, local history and regional specialities.

Nature in Leenderbos and around Leende

Leenderbos is protected as part of the Natura 2000 area Leenderbos, Groote Heide & De Plateaux and is also part of the De Groote Heide nature border park. Klein Hasselven is located in Leenderbos, a pingo ruin with an island of living raised bog surrounded by a narrow ring of water. One section of Leenderbos consists of coniferous forests; at the same time, the restoration of heathland is being advanced in this section. There is a network of bridleways in Leenderbos for riders and horse-drawn carriages.

Achelse Kluis is located on the border between Hamont-Achel in Belgium and Leende in the Netherlands, in an extensive natural area with fields, forests and heathland.

Cycling routes with different focuses

The “Natuurlijk!” cycling route is 48.4 kilometres long and passes through the three village centres of the municipality of Heeze-Leende as well as its extensive forests and heathland. Among other places, it leads to Restaria ’t Klumpke in Leende and to Leenderbos. The “Bevrijding 75 jaar Heeze-Leende-Sterksel” route is approximately 50 kilometres long and includes 29 numbered locations; two of these are sites of emergency landings on Valkenswaardseweg in Leende. The “Smokkelroute De Groote Heide” cycling route is 44 kilometres long and is referred to as “Leende-Budel”.

Churches, monuments and local history

The Heimolen in Leende was built as a smaller reconstruction of the Leende standerd mill, which disappeared during a severe storm on 14 November 1940, using old techniques and traditional tools. The Church of St. Peter’s Banden is a late-Gothic cross basilica with an incorporated tower and has a neo-Gothic organ built in 1863 by the Mechelen organ builder Loret. The Leende war memorial is a stone column with two metal plaques and commemorates the inhabitants of Leende who fell fighting against the occupying forces between 1940 and 1949.

In Leenderstrijp, on Kapelstraat, there are remains of a church and a chapel. The nearby Sint-Janskapel in Leenderstrijp was originally built in the 15th century and rebuilt in 1843. The Strijpertunneltje is an underpass beneath the A2 between Leende and Leenderstrijp; its mural was created in fresco technique together with residents of Leende. The nearby Inspiratiepunt De Groote Heide provides an interactive introduction to the history and future of the area.

Flavours and regional characteristics

’t Brouwershuis in Leende opened as a brewery in 1815 and produced beer for more than a century. Premium Bier Leende offers interactive beer tastings tailored to individual preferences. Brokmop is a cube-shaped anise pastry from Leende, made by local bakers according to a secret recipe.

Other destinations in the area: Heeze, Sterksel.

More about the municipality: Heeze-Leende.