The Beerse Healer Walking Route | Sagas & Legends routes
Walk 10 kilometres along the banks of the Kleine Beerze and discover a remarkable legend.
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Imagine being struck by a bolt of lightning. You escape serious harm but gain a remarkable gift. It happened here in the village of Middelbeers, along the banks of the Kleine Beerze stream. At least, that’s how a well-known local folklore goes. The protagonist of this story was called the Beerse Healer (‘Beerse Strijkster’), from that moment on. According to legend, she could cure the sick and injured by simply stroking them with her hand. People came to this area from afar to be healed. The Beerse Healer is long gone, or is she?
The Kleine Beerze has always been here. But the people who worked, lived…
Imagine being struck by a bolt of lightning. You escape serious harm but gain a remarkable gift. It happened here in the village of Middelbeers, along the banks of the Kleine Beerze stream. At least, that’s how a well-known local folklore goes. The protagonist of this story was called the Beerse Healer (‘Beerse Strijkster’), from that moment on. According to legend, she could cure the sick and injured by simply stroking them with her hand. People came to this area from afar to be healed. The Beerse Healer is long gone, or is she?
The Kleine Beerze has always been here. But the people who worked, lived and travelled along this stream have changed over time. This varied 10-kilometre circular walk takes you through the area where the Beerse Healer performed her miracles. The route starts and ends at Staminee D’n Eigenwijze, where you can get a snack or drink. Put on your walking shoes or boots – it can be waterlogged in places – and walk past the Landschotse Heide and Oirschotse Heide nature areas. The watchtower on the route offers stunning views of the Wit Hollandven (lake). Along the banks of Kleine Beerze, two exceptional works of art commemorate the lively history of this area: a monument honouring the Beerse Healer and a modern piece referring to the Muystermolen – a watermill that stood on this spot until 1884. You return to the starting point along a boot trail through the expansive, wet, green stream valley of the Kleine Beerze. And you realise: nature here has extraordinary powers, in the form of the abundant water you encounter along the way, and a fierce bolt of lightning that gave rise to a striking legend.
Kleine Beerze: stream valley flowing with stories
For more than 10,000 years, the Kleine Beerze has attracted passers-by staying for short or long periods. Hunter-gatherers, Romans, gnomes, pilgrims, looters, pedlars and – today – walkers exploring the area.
Stories come to life wherever people are. Explore the enchanting stream valleys of the Kleine Beerze on five circular walking routes. Discover myths created to explain supernatural phenomena and mysteries that remain unsolved.
Miracle cures: myth or truth?
On Maundy Thursday 1865, lightning struck the small church in Middelbeers, where several women were inside. One woman was killed instantly. Another was injured. People believed that the lightning strike had given her healing powers. By stroking people with her affected hand, she could cure ailments. She was named theBeerse Healer.Hoping to be healed, hordes of people came from near and far, following the route to Kuikseind where the healer lived, until after a few years attention faded. Was the Beerse Healer’s gift a myth after all?
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Signposting
Simply follow the signs and walk along the route from one numbered junction to the next.
Signposting
Simply follow the signs and walk along the route from one numbered junction to the next.
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Hotline routes
Hotline routesIf there is something wrong on the route, report it here.
Tips from Brabant residents
Skip map elementsLocations on this route
Monument The Beerse Healer
It is Maundy Thursday in 1865. Dark clouds are gathering above the old St Willibrord’s Church in Middelbeers. And then: a flash, followed by a loud crash – lightning strikes the church.
The Muystermolen Monument
Long ago, there was a watermill on the Kleine Beerze: it was called the Muystermolen. The mill stood roughly on this spot, about a mile and a half south-east of Middelbeers.
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