West Brabant has a rich cycling history. The region is known as the cradle of famous Dutch cyclists and traditionally, many cycling races have been organised here. Think of the Acht van Chaam, where top cyclists from the Tour de France take to the start line a day after this race. With the arrival of the third stage of the Vuelta Holanda the region also received international attention. And what a party it was huh! That you can do some great cycling here, we know from experience. Earlier, we wrote a blog about the smoothest bike lanes around Breda and about cycling in West Brabant with a touch of Italy. Now a nice story about gravels around Chaam.
Text & photos: Nynke Cuperus
Because gravelling in Chaam is also highly recommended! The woods lend themselves perfectly to it: think of the Pannehoef near Rijsbergen, the Mastbos near Breda, the Vrachelse Heide near Oosterhout and Boswachterij Dorst. But also the Kalmhoutse Heide near Bergen op Zoom on the Belgian border. So plenty of options! And we haven't even mentioned the cool sandy paths through the farm landscape.
A route for everyone
In this blog, we take you on a beautiful gravel route through the Chaamse woods and the meadows around them. I (Nynke) cycled it three times in the summer of 2022, so you may see nature changing in the photos. It is not a very big round - about 35 kilometres - but that makes it very accessible. For example, you can cycle it on a nice summer evening, leave somewhere else and cycle to the starting point or go with someone who is not an experienced cyclist. One of the times I cycled this route, for instance, my parents joined me on a mountain bike. And how nice it is to be able to gravitate with your mother!
Crossing the gardens of estates
Our bike tour starts a stone's throw from Breda and the A27, at Ulvenhart estate. A beautiful 'village' of restored historic farmhouses. From the estate, we cycle straight into the forest on gravel paths. Great to start like this! We stay with the estates for a while, as Landgoed Luchtenburg and Landgoed Hondsdonk are also in this area. The latter estate has a beautiful country house and a garden with a meandering pond that we cycle past.
Besides, you yourself hardly realise that you are cycling in the garden of an estate. At first glance, it just looks like a forest. We cycle along narrow wooded paths and feel like we really are in the middle over nowhere. Sometimes the paths suddenly lead to a piece of meadow surrounded by forest. We also suddenly find ourselves face to face with a deer.
Dodging cow pats and barbed wire
Once we leave this forest, the first obstacle soon comes our way. We cycle along a slippery dirt track, which my tyres are not really suited for. I try to avoid falling over. Indeed, next to me I see a mix of mud with cow pats. A little further on is a puddle. And I don't really want to know whether that is rainwater or cow piss. I dismount just to be sure. Indeed, a few metres after that I also see a barbed wire. And you guessed it; the monkey cage can begin! Like some kind of feline, I climb - very clumsily - under the wire. I will spare you the photos.
New favourite path discovered?
We now cycle a few kilometres on asphalt, on a road that is familiar to me. This is quite nice after all the small forest paths and the mud path. Suddenly we turn right and a beautiful gravel path appears. While cycling, I had never noticed that! As we cycle on, it definitely exceeds my expectations. We cycle all alone among maize fields, cows and geese. Beautiful flowers are blooming and the light on this summer evening is absolutely fantastic. I believe I have discovered a path that I will visit often!
As we cycle towards Baarle-Naussau, we encounter the next obstacle: a very sandy dirt track. My friend gets through quite well on his mountain bike, but for me there is no way through. It's like trying to cycle through the dunes. That's how fine and dry the sand is in places. And so I start a walk of a few hundred metres.
Clogged path
This is followed by another small stretch of tarmac, when my friend's bike computer suddenly tells us to turn right. "Here?", I say. "That really can't be right." The grass is tall. I can barely see a footpath, let alone one I can cycle on. And yet the bike computer is right. My friend leads the way. It soon becomes clear that I had perhaps imagined it a little too dramatically. It's actually just doable. Another one of those places you really don't normally get to. That's what makes gravelling so cool!
Gravelhalla
Then we enter the Chaamse Bossen; a walhalla for gravellers. You will find dozens of long, straight gravel lanes and hardly meet anyone. One of the highlights is the Ossengoor, a beautiful pond hidden in the woods. You are sure to encounter water birds, dragonflies and damselflies here. It is also a hotspot for ticks, so check your body carefully for this pesky critter when you get home.
Tips and tricks
Our gravel ride is almost over! Via Valkenberg Estate, we cycle back to Ulvenhart Estate. And if this wasn't a diverse round...? Want more gravel tips in West Brabant? Then we recommend following the king of gravel routes in this region on Instagram: @bjornrides.cc. And if we may give you another gravel tip, these routes are also very cool!
Are you gravelling for the first time? Then check out our tips for a first gravel adventure.
