High water

We start the route just below Geulle aan de Maas. From here we cycle after junction 14 in the direction of junction 8 in Maastricht. In the meantime we pass the villages of Itteren and Borgharen. These two villages could not be reached in January 2011. The supply roads were flooded due to the high level of the Maas. The villagers could only reach their homes and work with the help of army vehicles while they parked their cars on higher parking lots outside the villages. From junction 8 we continue to Meerssen. On the way we pass Vaeshartelt Castle and Wijngaard de Boekenerhof. This vineyard consists of two sustainably constructed and managed vineyards. The vineyards of Wijngaard de Boekenderhof are located near the Vaeshartelt estate against Villa Zonnevang, in the relatively warm Maas valley. Fruit growers in this area say that their fruit can be picked about ten days earlier than their colleagues on the higher South Limburg plateau, while they in turn can start picking ten to fourteen days earlier than their counterparts. colleagues in, for example, the Betuwe. In Meerssen we find the Basilica of the Holy Sacrament. This dates from the 14th century and is a showpiece of the Meuse Gothic style. This church contains a 12 meter high sacrament tower, as a reminder of the miracles that are said to have taken place here. This church is definitely worth a visit. They can tell you all about this at the tourist office in Meerssen, among others. We also find the Groote Molen in Meersen. During the rest of this cycle route you should take moderate slopes into account. This is partly because we are close to the Geuldal area. During this route you can spot one of the many planes that land at Maastricht Airport every day. We cycle further to Beek. On the way we pass the St. Hubertus mill. In 2005, during work between Beek and Neerbeek, the remains of a fortified village settlement dating from 5000 BC were found. As no known older remains of a fortified settlement have been found in the Netherlands, these make this village the oldest village in the Netherlands. From Beek we cycle further past Elsloo back towards Geulle aan de Maas. This is also our end point.