On the trail of the smuggler
Roosendaal, Essen, Rucphen
He was a smuggler Who deep into the night Again and again his contraband Across the border Small was the smuggling fee And great the danger Such is the life of a smuggler. These are the first sentences of Johnny Hoes' popular 1956 song The Smuggler. Where there are borders, there is smuggling. This is particularly true of the border between North Brabant and Belgium. Unlike many other borders, the 1843 border devised at the drawing board is not hampered by mountains or rivers. It is therefore no surprise that, after the abolition of excise duty on salt in Belgium in 1870, smuggling activities in this region boomed. Back then, salt was used in large quantities to pickle meat. For residents of the border region who were tight on money, it became very interesting to buy the cheap salt in Belgium and resell it in the Netherlands at a high profit. To avoid being caught by customs officers, the smuggler would collect the goods on foot at night from a stable, barn or cooperating pub just across the border. With two jute bags of salt connected with a rope, called the pungel, about 50 kilos of salt could be transported at a time. On the way back, the remote often boggy paths were taken and people went back across the border in a small group, possibly with a scout. During World War I, the German occupiers of Belgium decided to build a Death Wire along the border between occupied Belgium and neutral Netherlands. To save manpower, the 332-kilometre barrier was put under deadly electrical tension. One of the first Wires of Death was erected near the border town of Essen in January 1915. Here, the Germans chose an anomalous location over the original border, causing smuggling to boom. In the crisis years that followed, margarine smuggling became popular. To support the dairy sector, Dutch producers were required to incorporate some cream butter into margarine. This was not an issue in Belgium, so the cheaper Belgian margarine found eager consumption in the Netherlands. After World War II, the roles turned. Around 1960, butter in Belgium cost twice as much as in the Netherlands. With the rise of cars and trucks, the days of petty smuggling were over. Organised crime crossed the border in trucks and even armoured cars. Armed with crow's paws, smugglers tried to shake off customs. It became a cat-and-mouse game in which both sides took gigantic risks during chases. It was only with the advent of the EEC in the late 1960s that price differences and butter smuggling came to an end. Would you dare to smuggle in this area? Grab your bike and join us across the border. This Premium cycling route was put together by our editor: Elwin Croeze.
| Directions | Distance | Total distance | |
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Start: Meerven , 4715 SL Rucphen | 42 KM | |
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From
61
to
98
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562 M | 0.6 KM | |
| Head south | 562 M | ||
| You are now at section 98 | 0 M | ||
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From
98
to
62
|
2340 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head south | 110 M | ||
| Turn right | 1.5 KM | ||
| Make a slight left | 719 M | ||
| You are now at section 62 | 0 M | ||
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From
62
to
41
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1704 M | 1.7 KM | |
| Head west on Nederheidsebaan | 129 M | ||
| Turn left onto Antwerpsebaan | 492 M | ||
| Turn left onto Achtmaalsebaan | 1.1 KM | ||
| You are now at section 41 | 0 M | ||
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From
41
to
52
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1139 M | 1.1 KM | |
| Head west | 326 M | ||
| Turn left | 743 M | ||
| Make a slight left | 70 M | ||
| You are now at section 52 | 0 M | ||
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From
52
to
53
|
1550 M | 1.6 KM | |
| Head southeast on Raaiberg | 1.6 KM | ||
| You are now at section 53 | 0 M | ||
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From
53
to
8
|
1361 M | 1.4 KM | |
| Head south on Kleine Horendonk | 1.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 08 | 0 M | ||
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From
8
to
7
|
3963 M | 4 KM | |
| Head south on Kleine Horendonk | 2.2 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Blikstraat | 917 M | ||
| Turn right onto Vissersstraat | 457 M | ||
| Turn left onto Riethoek | 354 M | ||
| You are now at section 07 | 0 M | ||
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From
7
to
57
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3428 M | 3.4 KM | |
| Head southwest on Riethoek | 485 M | ||
| Turn right | 28 M | ||
| Turn right | 70 M | ||
| Turn left onto Marijnnevennenstraat | 726 M | ||
| Turn right onto Groespolderstraat | 498 M | ||
| Continue left onto De Smidsevijvers | 257 M | ||
| Turn right onto Darm | 278 M | ||
| Make a slight left onto Maalderijstraat | 214 M | ||
| Turn left onto Holleweg | 872 M | ||
| You are now at section 57 | 0 M | ||
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From
57
to
58
|
785 M | 0.8 KM | |
| Head west on Holleweg | 506 M | ||
| Turn right onto Antwerpsesteenweg (N117) | 29 M | ||
| Turn left onto Rose Grononpad | 250 M | ||
| You are now at section 58 | 0 M | ||
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From
58
to
59
|
2335 M | 2.3 KM | |
| Head northwest on Rose Grononpad | 1.6 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Schaapsbaan | 766 M | ||
| You are now at section 59 | 0 M | ||
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From
59
to
22
|
1481 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head northwest on Wildertse Duintjes | 929 M | ||
| Turn right onto Bontstraat | 6 M | ||
| Turn left onto Bergenvenstraat | 546 M | ||
| You are now at section 22 | 0 M | ||
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From
22
to
23
|
1189 M | 1.2 KM | |
| Head southwest on Schelpheuvelstraat | 257 M | ||
| Turn right onto Nolsebaan | 21 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Nolsebaan | 196 M | ||
| Continue slightly left onto Moervenpad | 552 M | ||
| Continue onto Rouwmoer | 163 M | ||
| You are now at section 23 | 0 M | ||
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From
23
to
14
|
865 M | 0.9 KM | |
| Head west on Rouwmoer | 865 M | ||
| You are now at section 14 | 0 M | ||
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From
14
to
15
|
354 M | 0.4 KM | |
| Head north on Rouwmoer | 332 M | ||
| Turn left | 22 M | ||
| You are now at section 15 | 0 M | ||
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From
15
to
5
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3437 M | 3.4 KM | |
| Head northeast on Moerkantsebaan | 2 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Hemelrijk | 986 M | ||
| Turn right onto Grensstraat | 158 M | ||
| Turn right onto Handelsstraat | 5 M | ||
| Turn left onto Grensstraat | 329 M | ||
| Turn left | 4 M | ||
| You are now at section 05 | 0 M | ||
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From
5
to
6
|
2123 M | 2.1 KM | |
| Head south | 4 M | ||
| Turn left onto Grensstraat | 471 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kloosterstraat | 279 M | ||
| Turn left onto Guido Gezellelaan | 410 M | ||
| Turn left onto Nieuwstraat (N133) | 11 M | ||
| Turn right onto Nollekensstraat | 948 M | ||
| You are now at section 06 | 0 M | ||
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From
6
to
55
|
1758 M | 1.8 KM | |
| Head east on Essendonk | 15 M | ||
| Turn left | 21 M | ||
| Turn left onto Ringweg | 9 M | ||
| Turn right | 21 M | ||
| Turn left onto Ringweg | 163 M | ||
| Turn right | 7 M | ||
| Turn left onto Essendonkbos | 1 KM | ||
| Turn left onto Heiblok | 474 M | ||
| You are now at section 55 | 0 M | ||
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From
55
to
95
|
1477 M | 1.5 KM | |
| Head northeast | 11 M | ||
| Turn left onto Heiblok | 270 M | ||
| Continue onto Turfvaartsestraat | 612 M | ||
| Turn left onto Het Dreefje; het Dreefje | 584 M | ||
| You are now at section 95 | 0 M | ||
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From
95
to
96
|
4637 M | 4.6 KM | |
| Head north on Kerkweg | 1.2 KM | ||
| Turn right onto Boswachtersdreef | 3.4 KM | ||
| You are now at section 96 | 0 M | ||
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From
96
to
97
|
958 M | 1 KM | |
| Head east on Zundertseweg | 532 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Zundertseweg | 7 M | ||
| Continue onto Hoge Langendijk | 419 M | ||
| You are now at section 97 | 0 M | ||
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From
97
to
61
|
4547 M | 4.5 KM | |
| Head southeast on Krampenloop | 42 M | ||
| Turn right onto Langendijksestraat | 189 M | ||
| Continue onto Roosendaalsebaan | 6 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Roosendaalsebaan | 465 M | ||
| Turn left to stay on Roosendaalsebaan | 638 M | ||
| Turn left onto Zeepestraat | 725 M | ||
| Turn right onto de Schietbaan | 755 M | ||
| Make a slight right onto Schietbaan | 766 M | ||
| Continue straight | 440 M | ||
| Turn right onto Kromme Elleboog | 189 M | ||
| Continue straight | 26 M | ||
| Turn left | 306 M | ||
| You are now at section 61 | 0 M |