Discover Handel: Pilgrimage, chapels and nature

Two themes shape travel plans in Handel: the Marian pilgrimage and walking trails in natural areas. When planning a stay, visitors can decide whether they want to focus on religious sites and their history, or on shorter trails and observing nature. Routes vary from a 40-kilometre walking pilgrimage to marked trails less than one kilometre long.

The Marian pilgrimage and routes to Handel

Handel is considered the oldest Marian pilgrimage site in Brabant. The Handelse Processie is a 40-kilometre walking pilgrimage from Valkenswaard to Handel. In Handel, participants are welcomed by a small procession carrying the Mariatroon. The route and the welcome each give the pilgrimage a distinct connection to the place: Handel is both the destination of the walk and the setting for the reception.

Another route leads from Gemert to Handel: the Keskesdejk. Eight small wayside chapels, also called Késkes, stand along this route. The groups of figures in the chapels depict the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Those who follow this route encounter not only a link between two places, but also a religious artistic tradition repeated in the chapels. The Handelse Processie and the Keskesdejk therefore differ both in length and in design: the former is a long walking pilgrimage, while the latter passes a series of small chapels along the way.

The Processiepark and its religious buildings

Behind the church, the Processiepark surrounds the holy spring. The park was established from 1908 onwards. The spring is considered the oldest cultural feature of the Handel pilgrimage site. The park contains Neo-Gothic chapels depicting the Mysteries of the Rosary. A Way of the Cross with 14 stations also runs through the grounds.

The spring, chapels and Way of the Cross represent different aspects of this religious site: the spring is central to the history of the pilgrimage site, while the chapels and stations explore religious themes through buildings and images. For visitors with a particular interest in Marian devotion and religious culture, these features offer tangible points of interest. The chapels in the Processiepark and the small wayside chapels along the Keskesdejk are not the same: they differ both in location and in the themes they depict.

Walking trails and nature around De Specht

The area around the Natuurcentrum De Specht is home to more than 200 plant species. Several marked walking trails, ranging from 0.8 to 3 kilometres, run through Handel’s natural areas. The routes can be distinguished by their length and individual features: the Vogelkijkpad is three kilometres long, marked in red and starts at Natuurcentrum De Specht. The two-kilometre Waterroute is marked in blue and runs partly alongside the Landmeersche Loop. At 0.8 kilometres, the Dierenroute is the shortest of the trails mentioned here and passes the butterfly meadow at Natuurcentrum De Specht.

The trails offer different points of interest without requiring a long walk: the Vogelkijkpad is distinguished by its length and starting point, the Waterroute by its partial route alongside the watercourse, and the Dierenroute by its path past the butterfly meadow. The education centre at Natuurcentrum De Specht is open by appointment only; there is no general public access. If you would like to visit the centre, arrange your visit in advance. The Vogelkijkpad’s starting point at the centre should be considered separately as route information.

Walking or cycling?

In addition to the walking pilgrimage and walking trails, Handel also has a designated starting point for a longer cycling route. Route A of the Kerken-en-Kapellen-Route starts at Onze Lieve Vrouw van Handel in Handel and is 38 kilometres long. The main factors to consider when choosing a route are therefore the mode of travel and the distance: the Processie is described as a walking pilgrimage, the trails at De Specht are short walks, and Route A is a 38-kilometre cycling route. These details allow you to compare planned distances without treating the routes as equivalent.

The destinations and routes described here offer different points of reference.

Discover more destinations: Bakel, Gemert, De Mortel, Milheeze, De Rips, Elsendorp.

View the main travel overview: Gemert-Bakel.