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Smugglers' route border crossing – Smuggling Route Border Crossing loop from Meerle

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Smugglers' route border crossing – Smuggling Route Border Crossing loop from Meerle

Moderate

4.8

(625)

2,615

hikers

Smugglers' route border crossing – Smuggling Route Border Crossing loop from Meerle

02:12

8.74km

10m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.

Last updated: June 11, 2026

Waypoints

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1.47 km

Bridge Over the Gouwbergse Loop

Highlight • Bridge

The bridge that takes you across the border...

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3.20 km

The Zwarte Goor

Highlight • Lake

This relatively small nature reserve is located between the Strijbeekse and Chaamse Beek, against the Belgian border. The area has a special flora and fauna due to the combination of heath, forest and fens. Various walking and cycling routes lead you through the Strijbeekse Heide. A must is the Goudberg reserve, which consists of a ring bog (fen with peat islands), in which live high moor occurs and the fens Langven and Zwart Goor.

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3.31 km

Dry Fen

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Result of the warming

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3.32 km

Picnic Spot at Goudbergven

Highlight • Rest Area

Here it is wonderful to relax by the fen while enjoying a snack and a drink at the picnic table.

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4.80 km

Snoekelpad

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Doesn't matter what season.

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5.96 km

Smugglers' route border crossing

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

Deep in the dense undergrowth you suddenly come across a challenge on your hiking trail! Fortunately, you can cross the narrow Strijbeekse Beek via a narrow bridge. Once on the other side you know at the border post that you have crossed the border safely. Every smuggler has been reminded of this since 1843 - 1844... Still a place to contemplate...

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6.13 km

Smuggling Route Border Crossing

Highlight • Trail

That's how you cross the border again...

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7.94 km

Avenue of Pollard Willows

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Nice, a short walking trail

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8.74 km

End point

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

7.01 km

1.63 km

110 m

Surfaces

6.90 km

1.40 km

372 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Saturday 4 July

23°C

17°C

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Comments

March 8, 2025,Boswachterspad Smokkelroute

On the border of Belgium and North Brabant, goods used to be smuggled via narrow and inconspicuous paths. These paths are now the Boswachterspad Smuggling Route. A 9-kilometre walk along streams, over bridges and along border posts. A route through the Netherlands and Belgium.

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November 5, 2022,Smokkelpad

Very nice walk, nice variety between fields, forest and heath. Parked at the football fields of Meerle.

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March 17, 2023,Strijbeek - Smokkelroute - 8.3 km

staatsbosbeheer.nl/uit-in-de-natuur/boswachterspad-smokkelroute

December 28, 2024,Smokkelroute / Chaam Strijbeekse Heide (NB)

The starting point of this walking route is restaurant 'De Smokkelaar' in Strijbeek.
From here you follow the arrows with the image of a smuggler for a beautiful walk through the border area.

In the past, there was a lot of smuggling here and information about this can be found along the route on information boards.

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July 3, 2023,Smokkelroute 🥾 van Nederland naar Belgie, start in Strijbeek Noord-Brabant Nl-Belgie

The smuggling route refers to a path used in earlier times by smugglers to bring goods across the border illegally. During the 19th and 20th centuries, smuggling was a common practice in border regions. The smugglers have to evade taxes and duties by transporting goods, such as tobacco, coffee, alcohol and other valuable products, across the border over unguarded trails.

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June 24, 2025,De Smokkelroute bij Strijbeek

Beautiful route with lots of different nature and is well signposted with the smuggler sign.

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July 31, 2022,Smokkelroute grensovergang – Brugje Rondje vanuit Galder

We almost didn't feel like walking today.
We had found a tour in Turnhout but could not find a good parking space. Back to Weelde the same story. Then we wanted to go to Meersel Dreef and on the way we came across 't Smokkelaartje in Strijbeek so parked the car and first drank a cup of coffee and then …

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May 18, 2023,Smokkelroute

What a beautiful route. We start at restaurant Het Smokkelaartje and immediately walk into a beautiful area. Fields, fens, heathland, forest, everything passes by. When we cross the river we come to an old border post and then we know that we are in Belgium. The Belgian part has more forest and less variety than the Dutch part. We arrive …

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Smugglers' route border crossing – Smuggling Route Border Crossing loop from Meerle

Bridge Over the Gouwbergse Loop

The Zwarte Goor

Dry Fen

Picnic Spot at Goudbergven

Snoekelpad

Smugglers' route border crossing

Smuggling Route Border Crossing

Avenue of Pollard Willows

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