Holiday apartment in Rucphen: Forests, trails and culture

Rucphen can be explored through the Rucphense Bossen: Dense coniferous forests, extensive sandy areas, deciduous forests, heathland and grassland create a varied landscape. There are also trails, mills, pilgrimage sites and special attractions that connect nature, local history and leisure activities.

Nature

The Rucphense Bossen comprise dense coniferous forests, extensive sandy areas, deciduous forests, heathland and grassland. Numerous hiking, cycling and mountain biking trails, as well as a long horse-riding route, run through this forest area. The Heemtuin Rucphen is also one of the area's natural and landscape sites. It is a Brabant nature and landscape garden as well as a special wildflower garden that blooms in every season.

The Natuurommetje De Achterhoek walking trail is more than 4.8 km long. It runs past a heathland area, fields, woodland, ponds and meadows, as well as through woodland. Along the way, it touches parts of the Natuur Netwerk Brabant, including the dry EVZ Posthoorn Noord and the wet EVZ Zwarte Sloot. The De Verdwenen Venen routes offer another way to experience the landscape and local history. Several peat posts, centuries-old peat canals and various peat ridges tell the history of peat extraction there.

Trails and activities

De Geheimen van Zegge comprises three hiking trails measuring 10.5 km, 4.5 km and 3.7 km. The walks lead to the church, the presbytery, the chapel, the Kerkzicht Café dating from 1880 and a village park in the presbytery's garden. In the early 1970s, many scenes for the then-popular television series Merijntje Gijzen were filmed there. Information boards are located at the points of interest.

The De Watertuin swimming pool is a modern swimming facility with extensive amenities and an important part of the De Binnentuin sports and recreation area. De Binnentuin is the green area between Rucphen, Sprundel and St. Willebrord. In addition, SnowWorld Rucphen-Breda offers year-round skiing and snowboarding on indoor slopes, as well as activities in the snow park.

Culture and history

The Lourdes Grotto in St. Willebrord was built in 1925. It replaced a Lourdes grotto that had been built at another location in 1885. Pilgrims who visited the Lourdes Grotto could walk the Stations of the Cross. The Processiepark by the church in St. Willebrord is also of cultural and historical significance: it is an example of the development of Catholicism and the establishment of new pilgrimage sites during the interwar period.

The Onze Lieve Vrouw van Zegge pilgrimage chapel is a place of peace and reflection that attracts many visitors every year. The mills also play a central role in the area's history. The present stone Heimolen with four floors was built in 1866, when the octagonal upper structures were replaced by a round stone body. The Heimolen is classified as a Rijksmonument and serves as a Baroniepoort as well as a starting point for hiking and cycling tours towards Van Gogh Nationaal Park. Molen De Hoop in Sprundel is a round windmill of the smock mill type, built in 1840.

A local product is also connected with the milling tradition: Flour from the local mill is used for Sprundel mill bread, which is also called Wiendfleppen.

Geographical location

The Sint Franciscusroute passes through Rucphen, Schijf, Sprundel, St. Willebrord and Zegge, the five village centres of the Franciscusparochie. The route is fully signposted with trail markers bearing a suitable image of Saint Francis.

To the overview of the wider travel region: North Brabant.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Asten, Waalre, Boxtel, Deurne, Oirschot.