A tour along the Maasplassen

When you think of water sports, you picture Friesland or Holland. However, the largest contiguous water sports area in the Netherlands is located in Central Limburg: the Maasplassen.

Beegder Heide
From the old Heel you can drive straight into the Tuspeel. This unique nature reserve was once part of a much larger contiguous heath and peat area. However, the peat in the Tuspeel did not disappear like peat in the stove, which is why there is now a raised bog vegetation unique to Limburg. Then you drive through the beautiful forests of the Beegder Heide. In Horn you will pass two monumental flour mills: De Hoop from 1817 and De Welvaart from 1865.

Sint-Odiliënberg
After crossing the Maas, you drive along the bank through historic Roermond. A little further on you will pass Overen, a mansion from the eighteenth century, in the Roer Valley. In Sint-Odiliënberg you will pass the twelfth-century basilica. Enjoy the view over the Roer Valley here. House Nederhoven from 1614 is a moated hunting lodge on the edge of Heel. A little further on, you can enjoy a well-deserved drink on the terrace at Lenny\\\'s ice cream and coffee shop.

Beautiful Roermond
Roermond actually needs no introduction. This Limburg gem has a beautiful historic city center. For example, on the Markt is the iconic town hall that originally dates from 1700. The St. Christopher's Cathedral from 1410 is also beautiful. On the Roerkade you can see the Stone Bridge from 1771. Here are also the monumental factory buildings of the former Electro Chemical Industry. The ECI Cultuurfabriek has been located here since 2012.

From Lenny's ice cream and coffee shop you can also explore this beautiful cycling region with route 145431.