General:
This route takes you along the provincial border of Dutch Limburg, starting from Asten-Heusden. However, of course, the route can be started from any point along the way (whereby you omit the extra distance from Asten-Heusden to the provincial border between North Brabant/Limburg, thus making the route about 14 km shorter). Unlike all my other routes, there are sections on this route that I have not yet cycled (i.e., gravel roads around Mesch, between Neeritter and Stramproy, around Schalbruch (D), and in the floodplains of the Maas near Kotem (B) and Vortum-Mullem).

You follow the route clockwise. Here and there, gravel roads (almost no sandy roads) are included in the route (a total of 164 km of gravel roads (=30%)). The route avoids busy through roads as much as possible, which means that sometimes narrow, separate asphalt bike paths are included in the route. You follow the provincial border as closely as possible with this route, sometimes via Limburg territory, sometimes over territory just on the other side of the provincial border (North Brabant, Gelderland, Germany, Belgium). Several times it is not possible to follow the border as closely as possible due to the location of an airbase or nature reserves or a river (the Maas), or because (gravel) roads are closed to all traffic (such as in the Vijlenerbos (except the MTB route) and south of the Sint-Pietersberg), or to avoid a sandy road (Rijk van Nijmegen). And several times the border is deliberately left slightly to avoid a busy road or to seek out an interesting nature area. The total number of elevation meters to overcome is 1950 meters. Given the distance, it is naturally wise to split this route into several stages. Good wider (> 30 mm) gravel tires are recommended due to the more stony nature of gravel roads in Germany. During high water in the Maas, gravel roads in the Maas valley may not be accessible.

Possible stages:
Assuming you split the ride into the following 4 stages, the share of gravel roads would be as follows:
1) Asten-Heusden - Ven-Zelderheide: 131 km,
with 33 km of gravel roads (= 25% unpaved)
2) Ven-Zelderheide - Brüggelchen (D): 141 km,
with 61 km of gravel roads (= 44% unpaved)
3) Brüggelchen (D) - Mesch: 137 km,
with 33 km of gravel roads (= 24%)
4) Mesch - Asten-Heusden: 144 km,
with 36 km of gravel roads (= 26.5%).

Or you can split the route into 5 stages:
1) Asten-Heusden - Molenbroek: 110 km, with 24 km of gravel (=22%)
2) Molenbroek - Swalmen: 112 km, with 40.6 km of gravel (36%)
3) Swalmen - Kerkrade (Pannesheide (D)): 120 km, with 48.6 km of gravel (=41%)
4) Kerkrade - Uikhoven (B): 104 km, with 19.1 km of gravel (=18%)
5) Uikhoven (B) - Asten-Heusden: 107 km, with 32 km of gravel (=30%).

Nature reserves and regions:
You cycle through in sequence:
- through the Peel (including the Groote Peel and Mariapeel, partly gravel),
- through the forests near Overloon,
- along the Overloonse Duinen,
- along the Maas with the river dunes of Vortum-Mullem (gravel),
- through the UNESCO World Heritage Maasheggen (gravel),
- through the hilly Rijk van Nijmegen,
- through and along the Reichswald with the climb of Jan (gravel roads),
- through the basin of the Niers and Kendel,
- through National Park Maasduinen (partly gravel roads),
- over the steep edge east of Venlo,
- through the Brachterwald (gravel roads),
- through the hilly Elmpter Wald (gravel roads),
- through National Park De Meinweg (gravel roads),
- through the Selfkant,
- through the valley of the Rodebach,
- through the forests of Schinveld (gravel roads),
- through the Teverener Heide (gravel roads),
- through the valley of the Worm (German: Wurm) (partly gravel),
- over the Plateau of Orsbach,
- along the Three Countries Point (climb of Vaalserberg from Germany),
- through South Limburg and Voerstreek around the border (gravel roads around Mesch),
- through the Jekerdal (with the Nekummer water mill),
- along the Albert Canal,
- over many separate bike paths and gravel roads in Belgium along the Maas,
- through nature reserve Koningssteen (gravel),
- through the white town of Thorn,
- through rustic cultural landscape between Neeritter and Stramproy,
- through the Laurabossen,
- through the Weerterbossen (gravel roads).

Climbs along the way:
Heumense Baan
Keizerskop
Jan (Reichswald) (gravel)
Arenborgdelweg
Diergardtscher Wald (gravel)
Galgenberg (Elmpter Wald) (gravel)
Teverener Heide (gravel)
Duivelse Bos
Schlounerberg (Hillensberg)
Postropsweg
Ochsenstock
Kuhlweg
Vaalserberg (last part gravel)
Gemmenicherberg
Eschberg
Rue de Beusdael
Nurop
Snauwenberg (gravel)
Louwberg

Gravel stretches and their length in kilometers (starting from Asten-Heusden):
2.5 Mussenbaan
1.9 Groote Peel southern part 1
1.5 Groote Peel southern part 2
0.5 Berkenheg (Meijel)
0.5 Molenpeel
2.4 Canal of Deurne/Helenavaart
1.4 towing path Helenavaart
1.0 Diversion canal
1.0 Campagneweg
1.3 Groeningse Bergen
0.9 Vortumse Bergen part 1
1.4 Vortumse Bergen part 2
2.5 Middel Steeg
1.8 Genneperhuisweg
0.8 Middelaar
2.0 Neerveldstraat
0.5 Bredeweg (Molenhoek)
0.5 Lierweg
2.0 Bisseltsebaan/Groesbeekse Bos
0.4 Grafwegen
2.0 Jan (Reichswald) (D)
5.0 Grensweg
0.7 Baalsedijk
4.7 Bergse Heide
2.6 Meerseweg
0.7 Walbeckerweg
1.5 Walbeck (D)
2.4 Leermarkse Heide
1.5 Straelenbroekse Veldweg
3.0 Ravensvennen
2.2 Venloer Heide
2.3 Holtmühle
4.1 Edge NSG Schlucht
0.8 Prinsendijk
4.2 Prinsendijk/Municipal Forests Swalmen
5.6 Elmpter Wald
4.2 Elmpter Wald/Luzenkamp
7.4 Elmpter Wald towards Oberkrüchten
1.3 Meinfeld
2.4 NP Meinweg
4.0 NP Meinweg
1.0 NP Meinweg
0.2 Gitstappermolen
0.3 Effelder Waldsee
2.1 Bakhuisweg
0.7 Path along the Landweer
1.7 Waldfeuchterweg
1.2 Pfadschenweg
0.6 Spaanshuisken
0.9 Heugenderweg (Koningsbosch)
1.1 Havertergrensweg
0.6 Hommelweg
1.5 NSG Hochbruch
0.4 Tüddern
0.3 Hillensberg
0.4 Veestraat
0.2 Rodebach
2.6 Schinveldse Bossen
4.2 Teverener Heide
0.5 Heerlener Straße
2.4 Wormdal
0.8 Wormdal part 2
0.3 Border crossing Amstelbach
1.5 Crombacherstraat
1.7 Alter Heerlerweg
1.0 Silbergpatweg
0.8 Hohlweg
0.4 Vaalserberg (D)
0.4 Cotessen
0.3 Cotessen along Geul
2.1 Teuvener-Driessen
1.5 Snauwenberg
4.8 Groenenweg/Voerenweg/Steenbergsweg
1.8 Grubweg
0.3 Nekum
0.7 Vroenhovenweg
0.3 Zouwweg
1.2 Herbricht
2.0 Floodplains of Maas to Kotem
6.5 Floodplains of Maas
0.6 Maaseik
0.9 Koningssteen (Thorn)
1.1 Thornerstraat
0.2 Itterbeekdal
0.4 Manestraat
1.0 Border with Belgium
0.4 Uffelseweg
0.6 Gatenstraat
0.5 Eikelenbosstraat
0.2 De Bobberden (Stramproy)
0.9 Kakebeekstraat
3.2 Kettingdijk
1.4 Heihuisweg
0.7 Iron Man (Weert)
5.0 Weerterbos
1.0 Laarderheideweg
1.6 Rondestertdijk
1.5 Zuid-Willemsvaart part 1
2.2 Zuid-Willemsvaart part 2
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164.1 km (=29.7% gravel roads)