family / mushroom walk
Description
Due to last year's great success, we have decided to organise our annual family walk as a mushroom walk for you this year too. This year, we will visit the north of our province: the Groote Heide in Venlo.
East of Venlo, the Maas valley is bordered by a steep bank, the so-called steep edge, popularly known as "the mountain" (Kaldenkerkerberg, Leutherberg, Schaapsdijkweg, etc.). Above it lies the 260-hectare Groote Heide.
The Groote Heide was already a heathland in the Middle Ages. There is an old, just restored and well-recognisable land defence that consists (partly still) of two sand ridges. These were planted with prickly bushes centuries ago and served as protection against raids on travellers between Venlo and Kriekenbeck. As a training ground for the Venlo Hussars, the moor used to have great military significance. They built a training entrenchment there. Since 1883, the area had been used as a shooting range, and from 1913 it was also given a function as a practice airfield. In World War II, the Germans constructed a large airfield on the heath with two crosswise runways. In the 1980s, work began to restore the heathland and remove the concrete runways and ammunition left behind. The contours of the runways have been made visible in the terrain by planted sand barriers.
The area is very varied: the largest area is occupied by heathland. On the southern side are also some fields, sparse grassland and woods with conifers, oaks and beeches more than a hundred years old. This variety guarantees a great variety of species. The red heath deserves a special mention: this species is found almost exclusively on the Groote Heide in the Netherlands. Mushrooms also do well on the Groote Heide: 286 species have been counted. Such species diversity in a relatively small area is unique. Wax flats, small colourful mushrooms, are an attraction for enthusiasts. They are rare in the Netherlands, but do occur on the Groote Heide.
Led by an expert guide, we will explore this area with its long and particularly rich history, paying specific attention along the way to the various species of mushrooms that will be abundant at this time of year. Traditionally, we will conclude this activity with a communal lunch.
We would like to invite you to put on your walking shoes with us to explore this beautiful area and afterwards have a nice chat over lunch, which is included in our fee. We will go for lunch to Restaurant "De Kraal" at Kaldenkerkerweg 186 in Venlo. We will have a lunch of various types of bread and rolls, various types of cheese, meat and sweet spreads, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, fried bacon, fresh fruit, salads, hot meat and coffee, tea and orange juice.
Sign up by 19 October!
10.30 start walk
12.30 lunch
14.00 end of activity
Location
Start: car park Infocentrum Groote Heide
Hinsbeckerweg 55, Venlo
Organiser
Region North and Central Limburg
Name and contact details for information
Chantal Konings tel 0475-316881