Gulpen - Heijenrath

Why worthwhile? Walk through the beautiful Limburgse Heuvelland.

Starting point: parking lot swimming pool Mosaqua [Gulpen – Limburg]

Distance: 14 km

Details: walk across forest paths, field roads and partially asphalted roads with several brisk climbs. Mostly well marked routes, excluding 1 part (forest De Molt, unmarked).

Route Description:

From one of the parking lots of swimming pool Mosaqua (there are several here, all paid parking) we follow the yellow marked poles out of Gulpen (southern direction). At the parking lot located at the back we turn right on to a field road that immediately goes up steeply towards the above laying plateau form which we have a beautiful view of Gulpen. This plateau / township is called Berghem. Here we go right (tot the south) and follow the blue and yellow markings.

Right before we reach several trees on the left hand side of the road we go left into the field down towards the forest forest (still following blue / yellow). Once we enter the forest (Wagelerbos) we follow the blue markings at a fork in the road. We end up at a golf course and walk around this terrain. A black marking is added to our blue one and we now follow these blue and black markings. In a bend we keep to the black markings (this goes down further, through the woods (Kruisbos).

Once at the bottom of the woods (forest border) we first take a right (following black markings) and after the next left turn we immediately go right (without markings). This path first goes past an open pasture on our left hand side. Then the path says in the woods (forest named De Molt) and eventually takes a left turn, up towards an asphalted main road (from Schweiberg to Eperheide). We follow it to the right (southern direction) towards Eperheide / Heijenrath. At the next T intersection with the road Epen – Heijenrath we go right towards Heijenrath (Julianastraat). From here on we follow blue markings again and a bit further also black markings.

At the next fork the main road to Heijenrath slopes of to the right. Here we go left (following black markings) and then directly right again (Flabberweg). A steep descent follows: first still across the Flabberweg, next we keep left on a pedestrian path (marked red / black) at the main road Heijenrath – Slenaken. This pedestrian path ends up on the main road again. We go straight across and the go upwards on a steep slope towards the forest border (Rodekruisweg, marked yellow / black). In the woods (Groote Bosch) we keep following yellow / black.

After a while we come across green markings but from here on we keep following only the yellow markings (the black markings go towards the right). After some time we again come across green markings which we follow downwards from now on (Wateroperpad, western direction). At the bottom we end up at the river the Gulp near the township Waterop. At the main road we follow the yellow – red markings that take us in northern direction through open fields.

We cross through a farm and continue our route through the meadows. The markings changes to black / blue (we keep going through the meadows in northern direction). We reach a small concrete road and follow a red and green marking as well. We end up in the township Pesaken. Here we go left to Euverem (white / blue). Once there we go right (north / east) via the main road towards Gulpen (red / blue / yellow). Once out of the village we road takes a left turn, but we keep to the right here / straight on, following a small pedestrian road (marked white / black / green). This path takes us past castle Neubourg and via a large, beautiful lane we reach the ponds with fountains at the edge of Gulpen. At the pond we keep to the right, and via the parking lot of restaurant De Pannekoeken Molen and then via the brick road (the Molenweg) we reach swimming pool Mosaqua again.

Done in 2009.