The best road cycling routes in Bakelse Bos

The current Laarbrug is an iron bridge on a concrete base and was placed in September 1947. Previously, there was a high concrete bridge, built in 1932, which was blown up on May 11, 1940, when the Dutch army retreated. The Wilhelminakanaal is the first Dutch canal named after a queen and dates from the beginning of the last century. Construction began in 1910 and in 1923 the entire Wilhelminakanaal was opened for shipping.

Nice cycling through the forest on an asphalt road, without cars, wonderfully quiet

Tasting delicious homemade pastries

A beautiful cycle path right along the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal. You can take the exit towards the viaduct to Aarle-Rixtel or continue straight ahead to the junction at Dierdonk. The last stretch towards Dierdonk is the least scenic.

A lovely, car-free road. From Beek en Donk, it first passes through a very small industrial estate, then through fields with horses. The road leads beautifully to a fantastic cycle path along the canal.

A kind of hidden gem. Everyone takes the wide, busy bike path on the "other side" of the cinnamon forest. Cross the Laarbrug bridge and turn right onto the path just before the dirt road begins. A nice change of pace when you're out touring.

A magnificent castle in the heart of the city. A real eye-catcher. Definitely worth stopping for a few pictures. Terraces are not far away, making it an ideal place for a break.

It's a beautiful part of Helmond and a lovely nod to our city's industrial past: the crane track at the Cacaofabriek. The crane is no longer active. The track was installed along the canal in the late 1920s. At the time, the site was a coal and building materials business owned by Van Bussel. Later, in the mid-1930s, the crane was acquired by a transport and sand company: the Slits company. This company still owned it in 2009. Shipping For approximately eighty years, the crane track was used to load and unload goods from ships. From 1988 onwards, only trucks were loaded and unloaded. This went well until 2009. The Slits company wanted to demolish this unique structure and applied for a permit from the municipality. Why? "According to owner Dries Slits, there's no other option, because as a tenant of the site, he has to vacate the property by mid-July. The owner has sold his land to the municipality," we read in an article the ED newspaper wrote about it at the time. Protests Demolition wasn't easy, because the crane track had already been listed as a municipal monument in 2000. It's not surprising, then, that people protested the demolition. Among others, the Helmond Monuments Working Group filed an objection. In November 2009, the decision was made: the municipality purchased the crane track. Renovation When the municipality became the owner, there were no plans for the crane yet. Because, what on earth were they supposed to do with it? The industrial area was being cleared, and construction began on the current Cacaofabriek (Cocoa Factory). By then, the crane track would no longer be useful. Yet, Helmond refused to part with it. In fact, they decided to restore the crane to its former glory. There was some discussion about adding a teahouse in the cabin, but that plan fell through. The architect investigated the possibility and soon discovered that the track would have to be shortened. Ultimately, the decision was made to restore the crane track as much as possible to its original state. Did you know, by the way, that the cabin is no longer operational? This is because the motorized section wasn't repaired. The renovation took about two years: the crane was completed in 2014. Now it's back in style by the canal. (Source: https://indebuurt.nl/helmond/genieten-van-helmond/mysteries/helmonds-mysterie-waarom-de-kraanbaan-er-nog-ongebruikt-staat~62895)