Really, Susteren and Holtum

De Doort nature reserve is located between Echt and Susteren. It is a beautiful nature reserve in which forests, extensive meadows, lakes and swamps alternate. The name, De Doort, comes from the word"Dorenbosch\\\", which denotes a forest area with many thorny shrubs. The lakes present are the result of former clay extraction. One of the largest tree frog populations in the Netherlands lives in De Doort. This rare amphibian likes to warm up on bramble bushes in the sun. This is the best place to find them. The route starts at Profile Wijnen. Here you get a 10 euro discount on maintenance and repairs with your bicycle discount card, so this is a perfect time to subject your bike to a small service before you start the route. After cycling eighteen kilometers, you will come across Wolfrath castle near the village of Holtum. The castle consists of two wings at right angles to each other with a protruding corner tower. The main building is located on a moated site and is accessible via a brick arch bridge over the canal. Outside the canal is a beautiful nineteenth-century landscape park with two driveways. The castle has not had any renovations since the park was built two centuries ago, so many parts of the castle are still original. Huize Holtum is located in the north of the same village. The current castle is a simple rectangular brick house. It is completely surrounded by moats and is first mentioned in 1354. The castle forecourt, which was laid out in the nineteenth century, together with the adjacent stable and house with barn. The estate is now a national monument. From Huize Holtum you continue to a historic watermill, the Dieterdermolen. The mill is located on the Roode Beek and was built around 1806. The current mill is a replacement for an earlier mill that had been here since the thirteenth century. In 1901 the mill was converted into a turbine mill, which ground grain until the 1960s.