LAW 9-2 (05) Groesbeek - Gennep

Maasterraces and River Dunes - It's the turn of the Maas, that other big river. The Maas valley has a stepped structure on both banks, indeed like a staircase with steps, the Maasterraces. The terraces were formed in the Ice Age era. During this period, the Rhine and Meuse deposited enormous amounts of gravel, sand and clay from the mountainous hinterland. Arriving at the low coastal plain, which was already the Netherlands at that time, the flow rate of the rivers decreased and all the fine material carried along settled. You cross the Maas and then walk for a while in a remote corner of North Brabant. Through the area of the Maasheggen, a bird-rich environment. Walking between hedges and along flowery meadows, the landscape resembles that'of the past\\\'. The Pieterpad passes Smakt, Geysteren and Genooi; great historical pilgrimage sites. You will see many chapels and road crosses on your way through Limburg. This province along the Maas has a different, unique history than the north of the Netherlands. You will see this in the cultivation of roses, shrubs and asparagus. Differences can not only be seen but also tasted. At Grubbenvorst you cross the Maas again. Walking along the river you reach Venlo, a nice Limburg city.