The best gravel rides around Jagersborg

The nature reserves in the cross-border River Park Maasvallei are managed by Natuurmonumenten and Staatsbosbeheer on the Dutch side, and by Limburgs Landschap and Natuurpunt on the Flemish side. To keep the rugged river nature in check and simultaneously introduce variation and dynamism to the landscape, they use large grazers. Without management, the areas would quickly become overgrown and dense with forest. Along the Maas, you almost exclusively see Galloway cattle and Konik horses. As permanent maintenance workers, they roam through the nature reserves. They graze, prune, fertilize, break open the soil with their hooves, and spread seeds via their coats and droppings. This keeps open spaces and allows a varied and rich landscape full of life to develop. Both the Galloways and the Koniks roam the areas year-round. They are strong, robust breeds built to live outdoors year-round without assistance. They are hardy, self-sufficient, and flexible. They adapt their coat, behavior, and digestion according to the conditions of the season. They find their own food and brave wind, rain, snow, and sunshine.

Orshof beautiful terrace and resting place for the horses

Station As is a former railway station on lines 21A (Hasselt-As) and 21B (As-Eisden). The station building now houses a restaurant and the Kolenspoorvereniging (Coal Railway Association) uses it for the operation of the tourist railway line Waterschei-As-Eisden. Station As is also one of the gateways to Hoge Kempen National Park and has an observation tower.

A beautiful little street in the center of Thorn

Near Dilsen-Stokkem (Belgium), in the cross-border nature reserve along the Meuse Valley around the De Wissen Visitor Center and the Negenoord-Kerkeweerd nature reserve, you'll regularly encounter Konik horses in the open floodplains and grasslands, along with other large grazers such as Galloway cattle. These horses are not domesticated pets, but are part of a consciously implemented nature management program aimed at keeping the river landscape as naturally dynamic and biodiverse as possible. The Konik horses here live freely in the floodplains and river landscapes year-round. Their presence is functional: grazing, they cut down the grass and maintain open grasslands. In places where cattle primarily keep shrubs and young trees short, the horses also ensure that herbs, flowers, and short grass are preserved. This combination allows these large grazers to create a diverse patchwork of open areas, coarse grasses, herb-rich thickets, and vegetated edges—exactly what many plant and animal species need to thrive. In the area around Stokkem, you often hear from local guides like the MaasVerkenner that you'll almost always see these horses during a walk, especially on the paths around the old Meuse branches and small lakes of Negenoord. These grazers are an important part of the river landscape experience, and they naturally regulate grazing management, allowing the landscape to develop into a rich ecosystem with countless bird species, insects, and plants that are rare elsewhere in Limburg. Hikers and nature lovers can often observe the Konik horses from the trails around De Wissen and the breeding banks of the Meuse. Because they are wild animals, it is advised to always keep a distance, not feed them, and not disturb their natural behavior. If you're lucky, you might see them grazing peacefully in the morning light or among colorful, herbaceous meadows—an impressive example of how nature management and ecology go hand in hand in this part of the Meuse Valley.

Wonderfully beautiful for cycling

Nice long road, without other traffic

It's lovely to cycle here on the dike. There's always something to see on either side, and the people you meet are very friendly and seem happy. It must be the beautiful surroundings.