Walking through the Mariapeel

Put on your waterproof walking shoes (or boots) and discover the primeval beauty of the Mariapeel. You start in Helenaveen, one of the two peat colonies in the south of the Netherlands. Here you will experience the history of the reclamation, for example at the Helenavaart: a small canal that was used for peat transport until the twentieth century. At Geldersestraat 10/12 there are still buildings of the NV Maatschappij Helenaveen, the company that founded Helenaveen. Further on you walk into the Mariapeel, the nature reserve that is just across the border in Limburg. This raised bog area has managed to retain its old character. Here you walk through an open heathland where clumps of shrubs grow. The heath is grazed by a herd of Dutch land goats! Back in Helenaveen you can take a seat on a cozy terrace at Eethuis en Cafetaria't Veen.