Winterswijk-Woold, Winterswijk and Winterswijk-Woold

Cycle along the German border. The outer area of Winterswijk is a beautiful part of the Netherlands that consists of a historic landscape with beautiful forests, heaths, hedgerows, streams, heaths and raised moors. The Winterswijk National Landscape is about 22,000 hectares in size and mainly consists of beautiful semi-open areas with alternating small plots and large ash trees. Here and there you see some bushes, avenues or hedgerows and very occasionally you even come across some high moors. Especially the large open quarry is special and has a foreign appearance. Tertiary geological deposits have been found here relatively close to the surface. The geological layers are clearly visible and therefore one can quickly get a glimpse into a past rich in fossils and minerals that are hundreds of millions of years old. Knownelle (or Bekkendelle) is an old swamp forest with deciduous trees, near the hamlet of Wold where the Boven-Slinge meanders. It is part of a larger forest area bordering meandering streams. This is a favorite habitat of the kingfisher, the great yellow wagtail and breeding ground of the rare middle spotted woodpecker. Knownelle is part of Natura 2000, a network of protected natural areas in Europe.