Belfeld, Kesseleik and Tegelen

The Meuse rises in faraway France at Pouilly-en-Bassigny and is the guideline for this route on Dutch territory. With the sound of the rippling water in the background, you can intensely enjoy all the beauty that the Meuse and surrounding nature has to offer on this route. Tegelen is a district of the municipality of Venlo in Limburg. The village is mainly known for the clay of Tegelen, the potters and tile kilns, because clay has been extracted for the ceramic industry in this area for centuries. Many fossil remains have been found in this clay, including beavers, water moles, hyenas, panthers and even rhinoceroses, hippos and southern elephants. The route starts at Profile Gahler where you get a 10 euro discount on maintenance and repairs with your bicycle discount card. It's a good idea to have your bike checked before you start this route to make sure you're riding safely. First you pass the Information Board Partisan Camp Kesselse Bergen, which tells about the partisan camp that was established in 1944 in the forests of the Kesselse Bergen. Resistance actions were organized from the camp and thirty German soldiers were also held captive until the liberation. Then, in the distance, the beautiful Ewe Castle appears. The house dates from the Middle Ages, but it is not certain if this is the original building. In the middle of the seventeenth century, a large part of the buildings was demolished and only a small part was rebuilt. In 1989 a foundation was established for the castle, with the aim of preserving this cultural heritage. This foundation has completely renovated the castle and today the building serves as a holiday apartment complex. Another beautiful castle is De Borcht, also called Kasteel d\\\'Erp. The brick building is surrounded by a moat and has a main wing with two lower side wings on either side. On the spire and hipped roofs of that main wing are five brokers with wind vanes and a coat of arms placed. The castle is not open to the public, except during exhibitions that are occasionally organized there. Next to De Borcht Castle you will find the Kasteelmolen. This watermill from 1700 is driven with an undershot wheel. The castle mill was mainly used to grind grain. The watermill was restored in 1970, after the municipality bought it. Although the mill is operational, it no longer runs often due to the limited water supply. Finally, you come to Castle Holtmühle, a complex that was built in the seventeenth century. The main building is a classicist brick building with two projecting towers. The history of the oldest castle goes back almost 700 years and the first castle dates from the fourteenth century. However, the current seventeenth-century building contains only small fragments of the original complex and is largely"new\\\". There is a restaurant located in the castle where you can enjoy a delicious meal while enjoying the beautiful view of the castle gardens.