Sagas and legends live on in Brabant. Stunning cycling routes take you past the most impressive places where these folk tales come to life. Take the plunge and join our journey of discovery through Brabant with these Sagas & Legends Cycling Routes.
Discover The Earthly Paradise from Jan van Gorp at Hilvarenbeek.
2 hour 5 minutes (15.5 km)
The story of the cursed Eersel landowner
2 hour 30 minutes (30.0 km)
The bicycle route 'Zwarte Kaat' lets you hunt a legend. Feel her breath in the wind,...
3 hour (36.0 km)
Once, on Christmas Eve, the devil danced around the spire. Get on your bike and go...
1 hour 30 minutes (18.0 km)
The White Feather Gang (Bende van de Witte Veer) cycle route is an exciting 43-kilometre...
3 hour 35 minutes (43.0 km)
The Fable route through the Maasheggen area is part of the Sagas and Legends routes:...
1 hour 15 minutes (15.0 km)
Witchcraft in the Brabant Campine
1 hour 40 minutes (22.0 km)A free route brochure is available for each Sagas & Legends route. The brochures contain a description of the legend and a detailed map. Download them via the links below:
The Glowing One
The Dancing Cats of Bergeijk
The White Fox
Gnome King Kyrië
Black Kaat
The White Feather Gang
The Devil’s Bell of Sambeek
Fables, Animal adventures in the Maasheggen
The Sagas & Legends Cycling Routes have been marked out over the Brabant cycling junction network.
Black Kaat, the legend of De Kempen
Myths and legends live on in Brabant. The Black Kaat cycle route is a 36-kilometre route in the vicinity of the town of Bladel, that lets you hunt a legend. Feel her breath in the wind, hear her squeaky voice in the woods, get to know her character and immerse yourself in her conquests!
The Glowing One cycle route
Around 200 years ago, people had little money in the Brabant village of Eersel. Yet they were happy and content. All except for one man. He was alone. He had no wife or children. That was not surprising really as he had only one dream, and that was to get rich.Take ‘De Gloeiige’ (The Glowing One) cycle route and find out why he was cursed and where you can encounter him...
The White Fox
At the beginning of the 20th century, the residents of Reusel and surrounding areas lived in great poverty. There was a huge shortage of everything. In order to earn money for their families anyway, the residents of Reusel began ‘smuggling’. They would sneak across the Belgian border at night with all kinds of Dutch goods that could be sold at a much higher price in Belgium. And vice versa. Care to come along on the smuggler’s trail? The ‘White Fox’ cycle route is 53 km long, consisting of a northern loop (28 km) and a southern loop (25 km), in the area around Reusel. Join the smuggling route on ‘De Witte Vos’ (The White Fox) cycling route.
Gnome King Kyrië
Long long ago, there was a mysterious population of gnomes who lived in Kempen. These tiny creatures were good to humans and animals alike, but they never showed themselves to humans. It was only at night, when it was dark, that they would appear and would help the people of Kempen with their demanding work. Carpentry, baking, ploughing, nothing was too much for the gnomes. So long as they were left alone. If they weren’t, there would be a price to pay! Follow in the footsteps of the Kempen gnomes, but be warned... Jump on a bike and follow the trail of the Kempen Gnomes on the 'Kabouterkoning Kyrië' (Gnome King Kyrië) cycling route.
The Dancing Cats of Bergeijk Cycle Route
The Kattenberg is in the middle of the forests of Bergeijk. This burial mound was once terribly ‘bewitched.’ Here, the witches danced hand in hand. Or should we say, paw in paw. Because so that no one would recognise them, the witches changed into black cats. If as a sole man you walked by, the witches would lure you into the ring and force you to dance with them. And sometimes with fatal consequences. That is why every man avoided this place. Except for Dorus, the miller. Read his story here and the legend of the dancing cats. Find out all about 'De Dansende katten van Bergeijk' (The Dancing Cats of Bergeijk) cycling route.
The White Feather Gang
The thrilling story of the White Feather Gang has been told in the De Langstraat region for generations. Experience the cycle route dedicated to this legend. A great adventure near theme park Efteling and National Park the Loon and Drunen Dunes! Experience 'De Bende van de Witte Veer' (The White Feather Gang) cycling route dedicated to this legend.
Animal adventures in the Maasheggen
At some point in time, the Romans passed through the Maasheggen countryside. It was then that Phaedrus, a renowned poet, wrote fables – stories in which animals are presented as people and where a wise lesson is often to be found. He also versified the fables of the Greek poet Aesop. During their journey through the Maasheggen, Roman legionnaires passed the fables on to one another. When seeing animals fleeing between the hedgerows, perhaps they thought they saw a main character from one of those fables by their famous fellow-countryman. Can you see them too? Get to know these adventurous animals and their experiences in the Maasheggen.
Are you curious about all the stories? You can view them here.
The Devil’s Bell of Sambeek
If you drive from the locks at Sambeek onto the dike, you can see it in the distance: St. John’s Tower in Sambeek. It towers above the Maasheggenlandschap (Maas hedges countryside), and it’s not without reason that the people of Sambeek refer to this sturdy medieval tower as the ‘giant’. Once, on Christmas Eve, the devil danced around the spire. Get on your bike and go in search of a bell that disappeared. Prick up your ears, you might hear it strike …
Make your cycling adventure complete by stopping off at the various businesses along the Sagas & Legends route and allowing them to surprise you with special products, offers and package deals dedicated to Brabant’s regional stories. Consider a nice beer with a tasty snack, a refreshing ice cream or a lovely souvenir. You can read more in the various route brochures.
