The best MTB trails around Roermond

Nice resting place

Beautiful cycle path

A sand dune, there are more of them in the area. This one is grazed by horses to keep the area open.

An old gravel pit, but now a bird paradise

A simple trench of carefully calculated dimensions made it possible to stop the advance of the tanks.

Beautiful cabin with bench and table right by the pond.

A steep climb or a steep descent at the Hooibaan. That's also possible on the Meinweg.

In Nationaal Park De Meinweg you will find an important railway heritage, the old IJzeren Rijn railway line. This is a historic railway route that was once one of the most important international railway connections and runs right through the area. Nowadays it is disused and sustainably integrated into the landscape, but the tracks are still clearly recognizable and walkable. The IJzeren Rijn (German: Eisenbahn Rhein) was originally a railway line that led from the port of Antwerp (Belgium) via Weert and Roermond to Mönchengladbach and the Ruhr area (Germany). The line was built between 1879 and 1880 as an important freight connection for the supply of cotton and industrial products to the Rhine and Ruhr areas. Due to political and economic circumstances, the track regularly changed its use and intensity, but it remained in operation for a long time with, among other things, double-track sections. Throughout the 20th century, the use of the IJzeren Rijn declined. In the Netherlands, the line was still used as a single track after the Second World War until the last regular train service between Roermond and Dalheim stopped around 1991. After that, the railway line on that section was taken out of use and fell into disrepair. However, the remaining rails, track beds and alignments were never completely dismantled in the part that runs through De Meinweg, and parts of the alignment are still in the park and are recognizable as old railway lines, overgrown with vegetation and integrated into walking paths. In Nationaal Park De Meinweg, you can freely walk and cycle on this old railway route. Remnants of the alignment itself are visible in the landscape as long straight lines through forest and heathland, and in some places you can even find remnants of rails or track beds. There are various walks around and over this route, including routes that start at Herkenbosch Centrum and cross the old track, where the small bridge and level crossings are part of the experience of the terraced landscape. The track has thus become not only a natural element incorporated by flora and fauna, but also a cultural-historical heritage. The old IJzeren Rijn illustrates how De Meinweg is not only a natural landscape, but also a place where old infrastructure, history, and nature meet.