Along the Meuse from Maaseik to Maasmechelen

On one bank a corn mill and on the other a fulling mill, also in use as a barrel mill. Around 1818 a paper mill was installed by JJ Titeux, who was a printer in Maaseik, but from 1863 the mill was again exclusively in use as a corn mill. Not long after 1960 the mill business was shut down, but it remains a beautiful spot.

Via the old railway bed you drive through the green to the small station of As that used to be used as a starting station for coal trains. Today it is used for the tourist railway Waterschei-As-Eisden. Then you cross to the Maas valley, here you also follow the Maas itself for a long way. Under a radiant sun the river looks rustic, but when the weather gods are bad it changes into a swirling mass of water.

Along the Maas you will see beautiful lakes, marshes and flowery grasslands. Just before the end of the route you will pass through Heppeneert, a centuries-old village, beautifully situated on the Maasdijk, on the banks of the Oude Maas. The history of the village goes back to the Bronze Age. Originally Heppeneert was right on the Maas, but over the centuries the river has shifted further east and now functions as a border between the Netherlands and Belgium. Nowadays Heppeneert is a popular place of pilgrimage. The central statue is the statue of Our Lady of Rest, which was originally venerated in the chapel of the Kapellerhof (the medieval Hof aen die Capelle) in Elen, where it had washed ashore centuries earlier during a flood of the Maas. In 1706 the leasehold farm with the chapel was sold to the Kruisheren of Maaseik and under their influence the veneration of Mary increased further. During the French period, the pastor of Heppeneert hid the statue and in 1801 it was placed in the St. Gertrude's Church. By the end of the 19th century, the church of Heppeneert was the centre of devotion. Even today, tens of thousands of pilgrims come to Heppeneert every year to pray for spiritual and physical health or simply to relax. You can also feel the peace that emanates from this place when cycling.

Take some time to have a drink on a terrace in Maaseik - you might need a dose of culture, there are plenty of museums to be found here! Also cycle the 2nd most beautiful route in Belgium; 143673