Cycling along the Maas and a visit to Horst

Damp grasslands, vast marshes, excavated peat lakes and fairytale-like swamp forests lie in old Meuse meanders. Together they form the Broekhuizerbroek and the Lottumer Schuitwater on the west side of the Meuse. In the middle lies a high drifting sand ridge called the 'Hondsberg'. In the northwest there are many spring waters that change into streams and gullies due to the differences in height, which benefits the diversity of water plants. Wellsche Heide is also worth mentioning, although it is a completely different type of landscape. Because the name suggests that heathland predominates here, it is a pleasant surprise to see that this is a varied forest. Oaks and birches stretch towards the sky while rowan and berry-bearing shrubs adorn the forests lower down. There are still a few heathlands to be found between the trees. Here you will find the rare sand lizard, sunbathing on the sand and the heath butterfly, fluttering from bush to bush.

Near Broekhuizenvorst, Kasteel Ooijen presents itself. Over the years, the castle has been renovated so much that there is doubt whether much of the original seventeenth-century building remains.