Cycling through the Leudal and Starrenbos

Beautiful stream valleys, forest fens and inland dunes in a relatively high-lying cover sand area on the west bank of the Meuse. The Leudal is an unprecedentedly beautiful part of Limburg with varied vegetation. The wet forests in the deep stream valleys are rare types and very diverse. They attract many different animal species. Mustelids, such as badgers, are attracted by the greenery, in which deer jump away and foxes hunt birds, rabbits and other small game. It is the ideal habitat for the kingfisher, which nests on the steep sandy banks and forages for food in the fish-rich streams. The hobby, sparrowhawk and large yellow wagtail also do well there. The Phegea butterfly flutters over the sparse grasslands, and spotted orchid grows between the fields and meadows, while in the more marshy parts of the area snake root, bog myrtle and goldfinch take root.

The tour takes you to Horn Castle, located next to the Maas. The medieval castle is one of the oldest intact ring wall castles in the Netherlands. It is a striking building with a square gatehouse, a southern wing and two semi-circular towers that are connected by a ring wall. Around the castle is a landscaped park and a nineteenth-century castle farm that originally belonged to the castle.

Ten kilometres further you cycle past the St. Lindert mill. This beautiful open post mill was built around 1790. At that time, the base was not yet walled and covered, which is now the case. The mill was decommissioned in 1965. The mill was restored in 1969, after which it was still occasionally milled. In 1997 it turned out that the furniture beetle had severely damaged the woodwork. A new restoration followed. Nowadays, the St. Lindert mills grain on a voluntary basis. The mill can be visited on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons.