Enjoy the surroundings of the Weerterbos

This route takes you to Weert and the surrounding area. Here you cycle through the border area between Limburg and North Brabant. The landscape consists of a mix of stream valleys, fields and meadows, forests and heathlands. You will also pass through some old church villages where you will see typical long-fronted farms and other monumental buildings.

Past the village of Sterksel you cycle into De Pan, a nature reserve that consists of a mix of forest, heathland and grasslands. De Pan consists of the three contiguous estates De Pan, De Boksenberg and De Vroolijke Jager. On the Pandijk you will see Hoef aan de Pan, a farm from 1831. A monument has been placed at the farm in memory of the crew of an English bomber that crashed in 1943.

A little further on you drive past Someren-Heide. This mining village was once located on the border between Staats-Brabant and the Spanish Upper Gelre. Transit duties had to be paid at the border marker. With their invasion in 1794, the French ended this toll place. The original border marker was moved to Someren in 1899 in honor of the accession to the throne of Queen Wilhelmina. In 1995, the originally four-meter-high pole was brought back to Someren-Heide. You can admire it on the Kerkendijk.

Just before Weert you drive past the Sint Antonius, a flour mill from 1903. Weert was declared the greenest region in the world in 2014. The route takes you through Molenakker, a spacious and green neighborhood. Just after you cross the Zuid-Willemsvaart for the first time, you will see a large monastery building on your right. At the end of the thirteenth century, the Counts of Horne had a castle built here, the Aldenborch. In 1461 the castle was ceded to the Franciscan Friars Minor and converted into a monastery. The building has been affected by violence several times, including during the Eighty Years' War. Few authentic elements can be seen in the building and the associated church. Just before you leave Weert, you pass Wilhelmus Hubertus, a flour mill from 1904.