Walking in Beesel: routes and nature

Four routes from the market square in Beesel

The centre of Beesel is 2 km from the campsite. Four routes by VVV Hart van Limburg start at the Markt. The Huurvaarderspad (3.8 km) is a short loop past the Mortelpark and the De Grauwe Beer windmill. The Walsberg route (6.1 km) follows the Meuse and runs through the Walsberg woods. The Beesels Broek and Bakhei route (8.1 km) first crosses Het Beesels Broek and then the Bakhei, past a castle, chapels and old farmhouses. The Between Mortel, Maas and Swalmdal route (8.4 km) runs through the floodplains to the mouth of the Swalm.

Walking in Reuver, towards the border

In Reuver, the Between the Border and Schelkensbeek route (9 km, shortcuts to 6.8 or 4.8 km) starts on the Keulseweg. You walk through the north-eastern part of Meerlebroek, past old border posts, bunkers and a Roman road. The Grenzgeschichten walk (4.6 km) runs through Reuver past places with a wartime history, with stories in the free IZI Travel app. The premium route Huilbeek and Maas (12.7 km) runs through the woods near Reuver; you park at De Bercken (Bösdaellaan) or at the Beesel-Kessel ferry.

Nature reserves around the campsite

Het Beesels Broek (1 km) is a 28-hectare reserve with alder and poplar woods, small wet meadows and two streams; you can walk freely on its roads and paths. Meerlebroek (2 km) was created in the late 1990s as nature compensation for the A73 motorway. From the picnic area and car park on the Muiterdijk a marked walk leads past Galloway cattle, partly over the Prinsendijk, an old Roman road. Rijkelse Bemden (3 km) is a gravel lake on the Meuse with 27 hectares of water, where you can see great crested grebes and greylag geese, among others.

Your own route along junctions

Around Beesel there is almost 100 km of walking network with numbered junctions. The network is managed by Routebureau Noord- en Midden-Limburg; report broken or missing signs there. Plan your own loop in the walking route planner of VVV Hart van Limburg. Prefer a paper route? The folders by the toilet block have example walking routes in the area, and the VVV information point at De Lommerbergen in Reuver gives advice on walking and cycling routes.

Further afield: the Pieterpad and the border forest

The Pieterpad long-distance trail passes about 2.3 km from the campsite as the crow flies; read the guide to the Pieterpad near Beesel. Across the border are the Brachter Wald and the premium routes of the cross-border park; see the guide to the border forest. Walking with your dog? Read camping with your dog.