Chaam, Ulvenhout, Breda

The origin of the river name is not entirely sure. Some say the name is a corruption of the word swamp. Others say that 'Mark' comes from 'mark' and indicates a border area between sand and clay. One thing that is certain is that the Mark flows in both the Netherlands and Belgium. So today, you are cycling on both Dutch and Belgian territory!

As soon as you cross the Mark to Meersel-Dreef, you get to the Maria park. Here you can admire a real Lourdes cave. From this small Belgian village you follow the Mark to the north and you will end up at the 'green wall of Breda': the Mastbos. The centuries-old forest offers a lot of nature, animals and history. At the edge of the forest the beautiful castle Bouvigne appears. Stop here for a walk through the French, English and German gardens, which are over a hundred years old. The 17th century orchard is also special to look at!

At the castle, cross the Devil's Bridge to Breda and enjoy a refreshing drink and the historical atmosphere at the little square 'de Ginnekenmarkt'. Talking about fun markets: also discover the cosiness of the village of Ulvenhout. One of the oldest streets in the village is the Dorpsstraat. Every Thursday between 13.00 and 17.00 hours the market is set up in this street. With a lot of diversity in products and appearance, time flies by.

From cozy Ulvenhout you are soon back in nature and you can take two turns to country houses that make you daydream: Landgoed Wolfslaar and Landhuis Valkenberg. Through the woods you will return to the starting point in Chaam. With this cycle route, you will have a wonderful day in nature, along the water of the river Mark and in beautiful towns!