An old floodplain with a picturesque mixture of woodland, grassland and some farmland. The woods changes from swampy to dry with oak and birch.

The fields are like 'islands' in the middle of the forest. The poor and flowery grasslands are popularly called the nine meadows.

The entire area drains into the 'snelle loop', which flows out in the River Aa passed Gemert.

Grotelsche Heide, where special cows feed, is mainly a conifer forest. In the north the meandering stream Esperloop is flowing through idyllic meadows. The southern part includes the Aarlesche vijver, a lake of around 5 hectares.

The Esperloop is a rare example of an (upstream of a) relatively well-preserved heather brook of about 2 km with reasonably clean water. This river, that thanks to the Peel Fault has plenty of clean water, is because of the vegetation and hydro-organical of special value.

Connection: Maastricht - Weert - Helmond - ’s-Hertogenbosch

King Willem 1st wanted to connect the industrial area of Liege with the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. That is why he ordered the construction of the South Willemsvaart. In 1824 this channel, with a length of 122½ km, was completed.

A canal that was built to connect Liege (Belgium) to the port city of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Relax along the canal and enjoy the small and big boats pass by.

Landgoed Croy lies between the centres of Aarle-Rixtel, Stiphout and Helmond and the forest area south of Lieshout. It consists of a castle and approximately 210 acres and is owned by the Faith, Hope and Love Foundation, who leases out the land.

Nowadays the area is a remarkably intact whole, which consists of a combination of castle landscape, farmland and still a very open, typical old arable land. The estate is located in the valley of the Goorloop, a river that starts at the Strabrechtse Heide and flows out in the river Aa near Veghel.