Through the mountains in Valkenburg

The mountains start in South Limburg! You can make a sporty tour here between Valkenburg, Maastricht and Margraten. The hills and the authentic (strongly Burgundian flavor!) culture give many Dutch people the feeling that they are on holiday abroad within the country's borders. Be amazed by the natural beauty of the South Limburg National Landscape. The reward of a climb to a hilltop is worth it, because you are rewarded with beautiful views over a green landscape, in which picturesque villages and the cozy Maastricht can be seen on the horizon, while driving down requires no effort at all. After the descent of the Cauberg you end up in Valkenburg, the city that has a rich cycling history with five World Cups and two finishes in the Tour de France. But history has also left other traces, such as the ruins of Valkenburg Castle. The ruin is located on the Heunsberg and is one of the few remaining high castles in the Netherlands. The castle, which was built around 1115, was destroyed three times. The last time things went wrong was during the Eighty Years' War. After the fortress had been recaptured from the French troops with great difficulty, it was decided to blow up the castle for strategic reasons. Only the city walls, two of the six city gates and part of the round tower remained. Rubble and boulders from the castle ruins were used to rebuild the town of Valkenburg. You pass the national monument the Kruitmolen, a watermill that uses the current of the Geul river. In 1820 permission was granted to build this mill. Initially, this water mill produced gunpowder, later it became paper and eventually the mill now generates electricity. A little later you drive past the Strabach estate. This private farm already appears on a cadastral map from 1825. Then you come to Chateau Sint Gerlach. This complex was built as a monastery in the twelfth century. In 1574, during the Eighty Years' War, Louis of Nassau destroyed the building during a campaign against the Spanish. In 1661 the monastery fell into Spanish hands again, but it was not until 1786 that it returned to Dutch ownership. In the nineteenth century the monastery was converted into a castle. When you cross the Geul for the second time, you pass the Geulhemermolen. This medium-speed mill was built in 1244 and used to grind corn. In 1588 the mill was leased for three barrels of good rye per week for a period of three years. A contract from 1632 shows that the rent was ultimately no longer paid in kind but in money, namely one hundred rix dollars in six-monthly installments. Ultimately, Arnold Joseph Quaedvlieg received the perpetual leasehold of the mill. To record this moment, he had the year 1768 placed on the mill. The route leads you further towards Maastricht. But just when you think you're driving into the city, you turn towards the hamlet of Sint-Anthoniusbank, which consists of about 40 houses. There are many historical elements here, such as two closed square farms, a monumental farm from the seventeenth century, a former monastery in which apartments have been created and an old farm with the remains of a square tower and a covered well. A little further you will pass Huis Blankenberg. This castle was built around 1825 on the foundations of a medieval fortress. On the route you also pass the Van Tienhovenmolen. The round stone mill was built in 1855 for the purpose of grinding grain. This mill is unique in the Netherlands; it is the only mill that was built entirely from marl. In the Daalhemer Quarry Steenkolenmijn you will become acquainted with miners' life in South Limburg. The last part back you go up the Cauberg, the hill that still plays such a historic role in cycling and has been the finishing place of the Amstel Gold Race for more than 10 years. Can you handle him?