The Landscape

In the north of Limburg lies one of the most remarkable landscapes in the Netherlands: the longest river dune belt in Europe, surrounded by a beautiful terraced landscape. For centuries, water, wind, and people have shaped this area together. The river Maas carved out deep terraces, while the wind blew up sand to form dunes up to 25 metres high. To keep the drifting sand under control, the dunes were planted with forests. Nowhere else in Europe is the geological history of a river landscape so well preserved.

The Maasgaard is a region where nature, water, agriculture, and recreation are cleverly and sustainably interwoven. Between 2013 and 2024, the area underwent a large-scale transformation. The result is a resilient landscape that is not only sustainable and climate-proof, but also invites you to explore and enjoy it. The Maasgaard consists of three unique subregions, each with its own character: the vast peatlands of the Peel, the winding streams and flower-rich banks of the Beekdalen, and the open river landscape of the Maas Valley.

Forests and Heaths

Polders and Farmlands

Lakes and Ponds

Rivers and Streams

Join us on this virtual cycling route

Virtual cycling through the Maasduinen and the Maasgaard

Route map

Start and finish at bike node 74 on the Twistedenerweg in Wellerlooi. However, this bike route is a circular tour, so it offers the possibility to start from any of the following bike nodes.

74 - 73 - 63 - 49 - 47 - 46 - 94 - 44 - 27 - 28 - 92 - 98 - 91 - 82 - 89 - 90 - 57 - 09 - 10 - 11 - 58 - 14 - 15 - 27 - 62 - 74

  • 77% of the route runs on paved roads. 
  • 23% of the route runs on unpaved and semi-paved paths. 

MORE INFO ABOUT ROAD AND SURFACE CONDITIONS

50
Kilometers
201
Minutes
180
Elevation meters