Walking through the Peel from Helenaveen

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