Cycling through the centuries-old Maasduinen on the German line

Take a break in De Maasduinen National Park
De Maasduinen National Park owes its name to the drifting sand ridges in this area. These ridges are also called parabolic dunes. The special thing about the park is that it is located on the longest river dune belt in the whole of the Netherlands. The National Park was created because the Maas has deposited sand here for centuries. That sand blows when the wind blows, creating the dunes you find here. Later, heathland vegetation was planted here and forests were planted to control the drifting sand. In this way, little by little, the varied landscape that you now find in this area was created.

Old Inn
The start and end point of this route is at Old Inn, a little outside Gennep. Here you can sit on the comfortable terrace and refuel with a snack and a drink. From here you can also follow route 117578 if you would like to explore the area further.

Afferden
This route takes you through the Limburg town of Afferden, among other things. This town originated from Afferden Castle, which was built here at the end of the 13th century. Nice sights in this city are the Sint Cosmas and Damianus Church from 1957, the Windmill Nooit Gedacht from 1958 and the ruins of Bleijenbeek Castle. This castle was almost completely destroyed during the Second World War.