7x Winter walking near Breda with a tasty bonus

The more than five hundred-year-old Mastbos is affectionately referred to by the residents of Breda as 'the backyard of Breda'.  You can walk into the forest directly from the Ginneken district. If you bring your dog, it’s good to know that they can only run off-leash in the area north of the Bouvignedreef. There is even a Snuffelroute, marked by blue posts with a dog’s head. In the rest of the forest, you must keep your four-legged friend (as is the case almost everywhere in Breda) on a leash.

After your walk, you can relax at:

Grand Café Heeren van Oranje, Burg. Kerstenslaan 20
Restaurant De Boschwachter in het Mastbos, Huisdreef 4

If you go further south into the Mastbos, you'll find a varied area with stately beech avenues, dark coniferous forests, beautiful fens, and extensive heathlands.
A lovely route is to start from Grand Café de Kogelvanger (which has its own car park), walk along the fen into the woods, and then head south towards the Vlonderpad. This way, you can enjoy a good long walk, making your bonus at the Kogelvanger taste even better.
Do the children still have energy left? Then on your way back, head over the Galderseweg a little way back towards Breda. There you will find Eetcafé De 7 Heuveltjes with a playground!

Grand Café de Kogelvanger, Galderseweg 55
Eetcafé De 7 Heuveltjes, Galderseweg 27

Attention: A number of lanes in the southern part of the Mastbos are closed due to water damage. The Vlonderpad is also closed. 

We stay a little longer at the Mastbos, because on the southwest side you will find the Galderse Heide. If you walk around here in August, you will immediately understand why the anthem of Breda is called ‘Temidden van de Paarse Heide’! But even in winter, it's lovely for a walk. 
Within walking distance, you will find Pannenkoekenhuis Dennenlucht, with a playground for the kids.

Pannenkoekenhuis Dennenlucht, Heistraat 15 

Estate Wolfslaar is located on the southeast side of Breda. It consists of a country house surrounded by a beautiful walking area.
Adjacent to the estate, you will find Nature Garden Wolfslaar. This nature area once served as a rowing pond and meadow for the nearby swimming pool. Since it was returned to nature decades ago, various wild plants and flowers have been growing and blooming again. A hidden gem!

You can enjoy your well-deserved bonus at The Garden House of Charlotte. You can find it at the entrance of Farm Wolfslaar, the petting zoo. Oh yes, they bake the cakes themselves here! 

The Garden House of Charlotte, Wolfslaardreef 95

Between Breda, Prinsenbeek and Etten Leur lies the Liesbos, the largest old summer oak forest in the Netherlands. The forest is also known for the many wood anemones that turn the ground white in spring. The Liesbos also has a dog off-leash area. You can find it on the west side of the forest. 

Depending on which side of the Liesbos you go for a walk, you can stop for a treat at Restaurant de Peer (east side) or De Boswachter Liesbosch (west side). 

De Peer, Oude Liesboslaan 172
De Boswachter Liesbosch, Nieuwe Dreef 4 

The Ulvenhoutse Forest has probably been a forested area since the Middle Ages. It is situated alongside various streams, and due to the calcareous loam layers, the soil is often quite wet.
The Ulvenhoutse Forest itself is not very large, but it seamlessly merges into the Chaamse Forest, allowing you to extend your walk as long as you wish.

At De Fazant, it’s nice to relax afterwards. Outside on the covered terrace or indoors by the fire.

De Fazant, Sint Annadreef 2

On the Strijbeekse Heide, located on the border with Belgium, the most exciting stories have unfolded. A lot has been smuggled here! Smugglers attempted to clandestinely bring everything across the border. From coffee to soap and butter, and from ladies' stockings to bicycles and even cows. The police and customs had their hands full.
Now that we can freely bring everything across the border, smuggling has fallen out of fashion, and there is a beautiful 8 km walking route here. Both the start and the end are at Restaurant De Smokkelaar. Let the glühwein come through!  

De Smokkelaar, Goudbergseweg 8, Strijbeek