Discover Merselo

Merselo combines landscape features with a long local history and several named walking trails. The village lies on the edge of the Peel; its defining themes include the former shifting dune Weverslose Berg, windmills and historic memorial sites. When choosing a destination, you can decide whether you are more interested in landforms, cultural history or a specific trail. Each place and route has its own focus.

The Landscape and History of the Village

Merselo has a history stretching back about 1,100 years. One striking landform is Weverslose Berg, a former shifting dune with an elevation of 38.6 metres. The Loobeekdal is another landscape associated with Merselo and is suitable for walking. This offers a choice of different landscape themes: a named hill with its former dune formation, and a landscape area suited to walks. If you are planning your stay around your interest in landscapes, you can consider these two points of interest separately.

Windmills and Cultural Heritage

The Ballonzuil was unveiled on 18 January 1896 to commemorate a landing that had taken place 25 years earlier. The small square obelisk is considered the oldest aviation monument in the Netherlands. This memorial adds an aviation-history connection to the windmill themes.

The Weverslose Volmolen in Merselo is a reconstructed watermill that functioned as a fulling mill. Its classification sets it apart thematically from a mill that serves as the starting and finishing point of a route. The history of sheep farming is also part of the region’s cultural background: many heath sheep once lived around Merselo; by around 1900, there were more than 40,000 in the area. The animals were valued for their manure, wool and meat. Their role therefore extended beyond wool production.

The Schutterspad circular trail tells the story of the Schutterij. This lets you explore another historical theme on a walk, without conflating it with the subjects of windmills, aviation or sheep farming.

Compare Walking Trails and a Cycling Route

The walking trails differ both in length and in their main themes. The Venray–Merselo walk is 14.7 kilometres long, with 6- and 8-kilometre alternatives. The Wandeling in de Testrik is a 6.7-kilometre forest walk in Merselo. At 6.9 kilometres, the Schaopsdrift en schouwpad circular trail is a similar length; it starts at the Nooit Gedacht mill and explains how the Schaapscompagnieën operated. The distances of the two shorter routes are close, but they have different themes. The Venray–Merselo walk also offers shorter alternatives.

For cyclists, the Mill Cycling Route starts and ends at the Nooit Gedacht mill in Merselo. It connects the windmill theme with a cycling route, while the walks listed above have different themes and distances. You can compare the routes by activity, distance and cultural focus.

Details of the Venray–Merselo walk, the Wandeling in de Testrik and the Schaopsdrift en schouwpad circular trail may change; check the latest route downloads before setting out. Details of the Mill Cycling Route may also change. So check the latest route information before you depart.

Discover more destinations: Venray, Ysselsteyn, Blitterswijck, Smakt, Wanssum, Geijsteren, Veulen, Oostrum.

Back to the main travel overview: Venray.