Roast, Suster and Real

The varied nature reserve De Doort is located between Echt and Susteren. Lovely streams meander between forests, meadows, fields, swamps and ponds. The old, densely planted trees give the area something mysterious and the abundance of exuberant flora makes a bike ride through De Doort a fairytale experience. Slender primrose, golden buttercup, spectacular wild daffodils... These are just a few of the special features of De Doort. A large population of rare tree frogs lives along the forest edges. The great crested newt also thrives exceptionally well. The trees are home to the rare, shy water rail, the nightingale and several species of woodpeckers, but they are just some of the feathered forest inhabitants. Water birds such as the wild duck and the blue heron are accompanied by many dragonfly species, including some special ones: the fire damselfly and the wandering armored damselfly. From the parking lot in Roosteren you set course for two historic water mills. A memorial stone in the Dieterdermolen, which is powered by the Roode Beek, suggests that the mill was built in 1806, but there has been a mill here since the thirteenth century. In 1901, the mill was converted into a turbine mill, which ground grain until the 1960s. The Pool Mill is part of a farm and draws its power from the Geleenbeek. The oldest mention of the mill goes back to 1662, but the current mill dates from 1883. Originally the mill was equipped with three pairs of grinding stones, but only one of these is still in use. Because the mill is privately owned, it cannot be visited from the inside.