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Witte Vos: Fancy joining us on a smuggling trail?

(53 km)
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In the early 20th century, the inhabitants of Reusel and the surrounding area lived in extreme poverty. There was a severe shortage of everything. To earn money for their families, the people of Reusel took to ‘smuggling’. At night, they would secretly cross the Belgian border with all manner of Dutch goods, which they sold in Belgium for much higher prices. And vice versa. The ‘Witte Vos’ cycle route follows the junctions and is a 53-kilometre route, consisting of a northern loop (28 km) and a southern loop (25 km), in the Reusel area.  

For generations, stories have been told in Reusel and the surrounding area…

In the early 20th century, the inhabitants of Reusel and the surrounding area lived in extreme poverty. There was a severe shortage of everything. To earn money for their families, the people of Reusel took to ‘smuggling’. At night, they would secretly cross the Belgian border with all manner of Dutch goods, which they sold in Belgium for much higher prices. And vice versa. The ‘Witte Vos’ cycle route follows the junctions and is a 53-kilometre route, consisting of a northern loop (28 km) and a southern loop (25 km), in the Reusel area.  

For generations, stories have been circulating in Reusel and the surrounding area about legendary smugglers. They devised countless ruses to get their cargo across the border. But none of them were as cunning and notorious as the ‘White Fox’, the craftsman who outwitted the border guards time and time again. Shall we set off on a smuggling trail? 

A border rife with trickery and illicit trade
In the early 20th century, the inhabitants of Reusel and the surrounding area lived in extreme poverty. There was a severe shortage of everything. To earn money for their families, the people of Reusel took to ‘smuggling’. At night, they would secretly cross the Belgian border with all manner of Dutch goods, which they sold in Belgium for much higher prices. And vice versa. 

A craftsman is working hard at the Karel 1 Cigar Factory in the Kempen border village of Reusel. But his boss says: “Sorry, lad, business is going badly. There’s a severe shortage of raw materials. I’m afraid I have to let you go.” After being sacked, the craftsman returns home in despair. “How am I going to support my family now?” He sees only one option. “I’ll start smuggling.” He carefully hides his first box of cigars under his clothes. Then he walks nervously to the c tramstation. This is where food, livestock and materials cross the Belgian border. “If I manage to smuggle this box across the border, I’m sure I’ll manage with bigger items too!” His wife laughs: “You’re as cunning as a fox.” 

Before long, the craftsman became known as the ‘White Fox’. At the customs office, he greeted the waiting customs officers – as border guards were called in those days – in a friendly manner. “Good afternoon, gentlemen, lovely weather today, isn’t it!” Chatting away, de Witte Vos stambles across the border. “What a breeze! I’m going to take this to the next level.” He buys some tobacco from friends at the cigar factory. A little more each day. Until he has enough to smuggle across the border. He quickly hides the load of tobacco beneath the stationary Flemish trams, between the wheels. Right near the customs office. The tram, full of tobacco, cheerfully rolls into Belgium, an de Witte Vos follows behind, smiling. 

The smuggling operation is running smoothly. Until one day, a bag of tobacco falls out of the tram. The chief constable spots it and sets out to investigate. “What’s that between the wheels? Come on, lads, search that tram!” And what do they find? A tram full of tobacco! ‘ De Witte Vos ’ flees into the ‘Het Beleven ’ nature reserve. He has to find a new border crossing and a new hiding place. But don’t panic, because the smuggler has already come up with a new ruse… 

At Border Post 204, he tries his luck again. Not with tobacco, but with Kwatta: Belgian-Dutch chocolate. He hides the bars inside hollow loaves of bread. Each loaf contains 500 grams of Kwatta. “Jackpot!”, thinks de Witte Vos. With a cart full of loaves, he walks to the border. A customs officer stops him and sneers: “I’ve seen that trick before.” The customs officer takes a knife and cuts one of the loaves open. “Bang!” A bar of Kwatta falls to the ground.

The customs officer grins. “So that bar’s for me?” “Yes, indeed,” replies de Witte Vos. “But only if you don’t tell anyone.” No sooner said than done, and de Witte Vos smuggles Kwatta for a whole month without a hitch. Ninety-nine bars for Belgium and one bar for the customs officer. Until the corrupt customs officer is caught with a mouthful of chocolate and gets sacked. De Witte Vos gets off with a warning. He calls a halt to his Kwatta mission and sets his sights on smuggling butter. Because butter is the perfect contraband! Butter prices in Belgium are considerably higher than in the Netherlands. In particular, the butter from the small butter factory in Reusel – renowned for its velvety-smooth flavour – is in high demand and brings in a lot of extra money.

de Witte Vos buys cheap packets of butter at the little butter factory. He hides them in one of the many hideouts in the woods. He puts on a thick coat, hides the butter underneath it and walks across the border. It goes well a few times, until a customs officer wonders: “Such a thick coat, in this warm weather?” He grabs de Witte Vos by the collar and puts him next to the stove. The butter melts, but de Witte Vos doesn’t confess. “That butter’s for friends. Nothing to worry about!”

After this, de Witte Vos decides to pull off one last big heist. If he manages to get a whole lorryload of Reusel butter across the border, he’ll earn enough to stop smuggling for good! He devises a masterful ruse. In the dead of night, he breaks into the little butter factory. There, he steals a huge batch of paper wrappers, intended for the packets of Reusel butter. He takes the butter wrappers with him across the border. 

Deep in the Belgian woods, ‘ de Witte Vos ’ has hidden a lorry full of old bricks. One by one, he wraps the bricks in the wrappers from the stolen butter. And with that, he drives straight to his Flemish buyers without a hitch. Without hesitation, they buy boxes full of bricks, wrapped in butter wrappers. By the time they realise they’ve been duped, the smuggler is long gone. His ultimate ruse has been carried out. He has sold thousands of kilos of old bricks as expensive, velvety-smooth Reusel butter. No one has heard of de Witte Vos since, and he was never caught.

Discover more in the Reusel area
On this cycle route, you’ll explore the Reusel border region with its stunning natural scenery, welcoming restaurants and cafés, and a rich history of smuggling, traces of which can still be seen in the landscape. You’ll start the route at Brabants Fietscafé d’n Ouwe Brandtoren, a lovely spot on the edge of the woods with an inviting terrace. Fancy a bite to eat or a drink? This cycle café serves Witte Vos beer, a Witte Vos lunch and more. Next to d’n Ouwe Brandtoren, you’ll also find the ‘De Nieuwe Brandtoren’ observation tower. 

View the full route

Here’s what you’ll see

  • 14
  • 15
  • 17
  • 22
  • 16
  • 2
  • 15
  • 14
  • 60
  • 77
  • 96
  • 94
  • 76
  • 97
  • 78
  • 91
  • 14

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