Swartbroek - De Pelen - purple - 10,3 km

You will also hike along the Leukerbeek for a stretch. Via this route, you can also connect to the connection route towards Weert station at the Ringbaan. The area consists of several lowlands in which peelvennen or pelen are found between higher sand ridges, on which the village of Swartbroek, among others, developed. Peelvennen or pelen, a term used only around Weert, are dish-shaped depressions that formed during warmer periods in the Holocene in the cover sand landscape due to flowing meltwater. The pelen, including the Roukespeel, Moeselpeel, the Kootspeel, the Roeventerpeel, the Sarven, and the Banen, lie southeast of Weert and Nederweert. Later, the Leukerbeek was dug through these peelvennen to drain and cultivate them. Swartbroek is a church village that is part of the municipality of Weert. The Krang, a large nature area surrounding the village, serves as a breeding ground and resting place for many birds. The area is crossed in the north by the Leukerbeek and in the south by the Tungelroysebeek. Due to differences in elevation and moisture, many different plant and animal species occur. The humid, flower-rich grasslands support the presence of many butterfly species.