Cycling along the Meuse

The Maas rises in faraway France near Pouilly-en-Bassigny and is the guiding principle on Dutch territory that this route follows. With the sound of the rippling water in the background, you can intensely enjoy all the beauty that the Maas and the surrounding nature have to offer on this route. The surroundings are beautiful here! The Maas has shaped the landscape and the river itself has many faces. Under a radiant sun, the river looks rustic, but when the weather is less good, the Maas changes into a swirling mass of water. Beautiful lakes, marshes, flowery grasslands and rugged forests on the banks are grazed by Konik horses and Galloway cattle. The area is used to extract gravel and many peat paths and gravel ridges have been created that are wonderful to explore. Dilsen is located in Maasland, consisting of the Maas valley, the Maas terraces and the Kempens Plateau. The height varies from 33 meters near the Maas, to 93 meters on the plateau. The plateau used to be home to the Ledebos, which gradually turned into heathland due to overgrazing. Today, this area is part of the Hoge Kempen National Park. The soil here consists of gravel and gravelly sand deposited by the Meuse in the Middle Pleistocene. On top of this lies a thin layer of loamy sand. In Dilsen, you will be able to enjoy the view of Kasteel Ter Motten. Presumably, there was also an older castle here, of which you can no longer see anything. The first owner was mentioned in 1375 and after him many prominent families lived in the castle. The current complex was built in 1725. It is a striking building in which the Baroque style predominates. In 1973, the castle grounds, including the park where you can see some remarkable trees, were sold to the municipality. It was then repurposed as a town hall.