Bemelen, Meerssen and Gulpen

A hilly landscape with beautiful stream valleys, steep slopes and a rich soil consisting of fertile loess, flint and limestone, that can only be in Limburg. Cycling through this province means cycling over hills, to peaks and valleys, from one striking place in history to the next location that seems even more important. Be amazed by the nature lease of the National Landscape South Limburg, an area that is 44,523 hectares in total and includes the southernmost part of the Netherlands. The well-known tourist attraction Valkenburg is also located in the area and cycling through the area you will encounter sunken roads and see beautiful high-stem orchards. It is a landscape full of half-timbered farms, chapels and crucifixes, and cultural history plays an important role: processions and shooting festivals are regularly organised. The hamlet of Sint-Antoniusbank deserves extra attention. The hamlet consists of approximately 40 houses and belonged to the municipality of Heer en Keer until 1827, but then it became the municipality of Cadier en Keer. In 1982, Cadier en Keer municipality became part of the municipality of Margraten, which merged with Eijsden in 2011. There are many historical elements to be found in the hamlet, if you know where to look. Despite its small scale, you can find two closed square farms, but also a monumental farm that, despite its nineteenth-century construction, dates back to the seventeenth century, a former monastery in which apartments have been created and an old farm with remains of a square tower and a covered well.