Land van Kalk Hike

Take a hike in the Dutch uplands!
Maybe you’ll spot the blue and orange flash of a kingfisher, a flock of migrating cranes high above, or a trout lazily swimming in the stream.
Perhaps even a leopard or lion??

The ‘Land van Kalk’ is an upland area close to Heerlen, which runs, roughly speaking, from the village of Voerendaal in the north to Aachen (in Germany) in the south. It is so-called because of its calciferous bedrock (Kunradersteen) which provides rich soils for the orchards and vineyards that are scattered throughout the district. It is known that the Romans used the stone for building material. It is also a habitat for special fauna and flora and lies in one of Limburg’s most outstanding areas of natural beauty. During the hike you will find out lots more about the Land van Kalk!

The hike will take place on the morning of Sunday 10 November and will start at 10 am from Wittem. Your guide will be Land van Kalk ranger Carola Janssen. The walk takes us along the water and the feeder stream of the Geul. We follow various streams, and go up and down steep inclines on a challenging walk of almost 14 km, so this the walk is moderately difficult. We will eat lunch along the way and arrive at the Royal Theater about 1.30 pm, where participants will be able to sit, relax and enjoy Sunday afternoon’s Dutch Mountain Film Festival programme.

• Date:  Sunday 10 November 2024
• Start:  9:30 am
• Meeting point:  Klooster Wittem car park
• Please note: No transport has been specially laid on to Wittem. There is an excellent bus connection (55) between the bus station in Heerlen (next to the railway station) and the bus station in Gulpen (2 km to the starting point by foot) or to Partij (500 m by foot). Check times on 9292.nl
• Prijs:  €35 per person incl. lunch and admission to the Dutch Mountain Film Festival for the afternoon programme (see below)
• Number of participants: Minimum of 5, maximum of 15

Sunday afternoon’s film programme: