Belfeld, Kesseleik and Tegelen

The Meuse has its source in distant France near Pouilly-en-Bassigny and is the guideline along which this route passes on Dutch territory. With the sound of the rippling water in the background, you can thoroughly enjoy all the beauty that the Maas and surrounding nature have 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 roof 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 rhinos, 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 pass. It is a good idea to have your bike checked before you start this route, so that you can be sure that you are traveling safely. First you pass the Information Board Partisan Camp Kesselse Bergen, which tells about the partisan camp that was founded in 1944 in the forests of the Kesselse Bergen. Resistance actions were organized from the camp and thirty German soldiers were also held prisoner until its liberation. Then the beautiful Ooien Castle appears in the distance. The house dates from the Middle Ages, but it is not certain whether this is the original building. In the mid-seventeenth century, a large number of the buildings were 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. Five brokers with weather vanes and a coat of arms have been placed on the spire and hipped roofs of the main wing. The castle is not open to the public, except during occasional exhibitions. Next to De Borcht Castle you will find the Kasteelmolen. This water mill 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 purchased it. Although the mill is operational, it no longer runs often due to the low water supply. Finally you come to Holtmühle Castle, a complex that was built in the seventeenth century. The main building is a classicist brick building with two protruding 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 in the castle where you can enjoy a delicious meal while enjoying the beautiful view of the castle gardens.