From Epen, past several watermills

The Vijlenerbos is a forest area of approximately 650 hectares that was already inhabited in prehistoric times. The vast hillside forests between Vijlen and Vaals are characterized by very large differences in elevation, reaching up to about 100 meters. The highest point is the famous tri-border point. Cycle through the impressive karst landscape, where limestone dissolved in water and where you will find gigantic craters filled with flint eluvium and Tertiary sand. These funnel-shaped landscape features are called organ pipes. These organ pipes and so-called bowl-shaped "bowls" with a diameter of several tens of meters, known as 'dolines', were formed by the dissolution of limestone in water, a process called karst. In addition, beautiful sandstone boulders cemented together by silicic acid can be found in the beautiful Limburg Vijlenerbosch. Then the first watermill appears. A manorial mill was already built on this site in the thirteenth century, but in 1828 it was rebuilt as a paper mill. In 1856, the former paper mill was converted into an artificial wool mill, but this business went bankrupt in 1882. The undershot watermill known as the Bovenste Molen was completely restored in 1978 with an extensive restoration and regained its old milling function. As of 2013, it is used to mill organic wheat, and the mill is equipped to process other grain products as well. The Onderste Molen in Mechelen stands seven hundred meters downstream. This beautiful watermill was used as a grain mill, but it was also used to generate electricity. The original mill was built in 1215 and was then called the Commandeursmolen. Later, after a restoration, the mill was renamed the 'Onderste Molen'. The mill was made fully operational again in 2005 and currently operates on a voluntary basis. You continue the bike tour to Vaals, where you can visit the Frankenmolen. This overshot watermill from 1736 was used as a spinning mill for many years, until the accompanying factory burned down three times in fifteen years. In 1905, that blanket factory was closed and the mill was converted into a grain mill, a function it has fulfilled for many years and still fulfills today. Then it is time for a visit to the estate on which an imposing building named Vaelsbroek and the Vaalsbroekermolen stand. The current "castle" Vaelsbroek, a beautiful U-shaped manor house, was built in 1761 by the cloth manufacturer Johann Arnold von Clermont from Aachen, who moved his factories to Vaals. A modern castle in the Neoclassical style was erected on the estate, and a beautiful park was laid out around the house, on which a mausoleum was built for family members of the owner. The Vaalsbroekermolen is a beautiful watermill that was built in Vaals in 1776. The mill was used as a spinning and grain mill until around 1960, after which it fell into serious disrepair. Until 1988, the mill was barely maintained, but when a hotel was built next to it, the mill was completely restored. The mill is operational again and looks beautiful, but it never regained its old function. A restaurant is located in the building, where you can enjoy a nice meal. The Vaalsbroekermolen belongs to Vaelsbroek Castle.