Walking through the Peel from Helenaveen

The starting point of this walking route is Hotel Eetcafé In D\\\'ouwe Peel in Helenaveen. This is the only two peat colony in the southern Netherlands outside Griendtsveen. The town enjoys a protected village view, nice to taste the atmosphere! Today you walk through the Deurnsche Peel and the Mariapeel. In the past, these areas together formed a vast high moor landscape. Helenaveen was specially constructed for the extraction of raised moor, also known as'the black gold\\\'. Nowadays, efforts are being made to make the area around Helenaveen wetter again, so that the raised moor can recover. It is a popular habitat for birds. You also walk through the fragrant coniferous forest of De Marisberg, the highest point in the Peel. It is also called Belgenhoek, after the Belgians who built the Helenavaart more than 100 years ago.