Walk across the plateau of Vijlen

The route starts in Vijlen, this village is located on a ridge that extends from the Vijlner forests over the Rugweg, the village itself, Hilleshagen to Mechelen. This ridge is referred to as the Vijlen Plateau and the village is situated at an altitude of about 195 meters. The place is considered the highest village in the Netherlands. The plateau was formed by the erosion of the surrounding rivers and streams.

The route leads over narrow hiking trails through hedges to the hamlet of Harles, from where you have a view over meadows with horses. From there, the route heads southeast to Holset and offers a nice view of the vineyards of BruisendWijnHuis Domein Holset. We maintain this direction and then pass by Castle Vaalsbroek, which currently functions as a hotel. The next turn to the right takes us to the "Pass of Wolfhaag," which is the pass to the Belgian border with an average gradient of 5.3%. Before we reach the top of the Gemmenicherweg, we choose a side path through the meadows and walk parallel to the road to the border. Just before the border, we turn onto a forest road heading west. From now on, we walk through the forest with occasional views into the valley and a view of Vaals, located behind; when it's wet, it can get quite boggy here. After a while, we no longer have a view of the valley and pass by the burial mound of Raren, which dates back to the Bronze Age. We continue walking through the forest until we cross the Epenerbaan; be careful here as there can be a lot of traffic with cyclists and cars. Once on the other side, we walk parallel to the road. We continue until we reach the top of Camerig, which is a well-known climb as it is included in the Amstelgold cycling race. The route remains parallel to the Epenerbaan heading west, occasionally you will also hear traffic until we have the restaurant Buitenlust in sight. If necessary, you can take a break here and/or enjoy the fantastic view.

The route goes back into the Vijlner forests heading west, before turning north. Out of the forest, Vijlen is beautifully visible, the last section leads along the Marian Grotto and the Stations of the Cross. The grotto was placed here in 1945 out of gratitude that Vijlen was spared from the war events. After that, we enter Vijlen and the loop is closed.