Elen - orange - 7,7 km

You start the route at the church in Elen. From there, you get to know the rural character of this charming Maas village. The fields and akkers with numerous small landscape features form the setting for this relaxing hiking.

The hike takes you on an exploration of the Elerweerd gravel extraction area. Here, the bank of the Maas is excavated to give the Maas more space during high tides. This better protects the surrounding villages from high tide. After the work is completed, the area will be returned to nature. Here you will literally be able to see new river nature emerging. You continue hiking along the Maas towards De Damiaan, once a skippers' inn along the Maas. Now one of the last remaining buildings in the winterbed.

Along the route, you also encounter two large Maas lakes: Bichterweerd and Meerheuvel. These lakes and the surrounding river nature are an important stopover for waders and other birds such as the robin and the skylark. Because of the high natural value of the area, even the otter could reestablish itself here. A good stopping place for nature lovers.