Krickenbecker Seen
Kaldenkirchen → Venlo
A day trip to Germany? With this NS-walk, it's easily arranged. From the first station across the border, Kaldenkirchen, it's only a few kilometers walk to the Krickenbecker Seen nature reserve. Four lakes in the shape of a cloverleaf, through which the river Nette flows. A paradise for water lovers and hikers.
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The map shows the main signposted route. Variants follow the same trail with shortcuts or extensions — see Practical info and Route notes for details.
Highlights
- Cross-border hiking
- Krickenbecker Seen Nature Park
- Nettetal: bird paradise
- Cozy city center of Venlo
- Trees for All has planted trees in this area
Practical info
- Distance
- 14 km or 16.5 km
- LAW
- Maas-Niederrheinpad
- Percentage paved
- 70%
- Dogs allowed?
- Yes. Dogs are allowed on a leash.
Description
From Venlo station, it's barely a 5-minute train ride to the German Kaldenkirchen. You then walk back to Venlo over a distance of more than 16 kilometers. That's not the shortest way, but it is a beautiful one. You follow the winding river Nette, right through the Krickenbecker Seen nature reserve. Many (water)birds, such as the grey heron, reed bunting, western marsh harrier, and Eurasian bittern, settle around the alder fen forests and the ponds in the Nette valley.
As soon as you've crossed the border again, you walk through the Groote Heide nature reserve in the Netherlands. The landscape there consists not only of heath, but also of fields and grasslands.
Via a 'steep edge', you descend 23 meters in altitude to Venlo in the Meuse valley; a considerable descent by Dutch standards.
Time left over? Take a stroll into the historic center of Venlo. With this NS-walk, you truly get a day completely away.
Route
The route can be shortened to 14 km by taking city bus 5 from the edge of Venlo, from the Postweg stop, to Venlo station (Mon to Fri 2x per hour, Sat 1x per hour). Check current departure times in the NS app or in the Reisplanner on NS.nl (also bus times).
Photos from NS
Photos © NS · sourced from ns.nl