Gerendal is also know for its wild orchids which flourish well on the chalk grasslands; the only place in The Netherlands actually where they still exists. The Orchid Garden, maintained by Staatsbosbeheer, is open to the public during May & June and really worth a visit when you are in the neighborhood.

After visiting the Orchid Garden our track brought us via small forests and agricultural areas to the small river De Geul that meanders through the landscape.  Oh....maybe you can discover our naughty Moose in one of the pictures. He wanted to prove to you that he was indeed with us all the time.

Via a small township called Stokhem we had to climb up a hill again which provided a nice view over Wijlre and its surrounding areas. This path eventually took us to a track that is part of the St. James Way (or St. Jakobsweg in Dutch), a pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela (el Camino de Santiago) in Spain.

After stopping at a cafe in a town called Scheulder to get some ice-cream (yum yum, very refreshing with this heat), we returned to the Gerendal, but now seen from the other side of the valley. This cow wanted to have my ice-cream I believe, but I was much quicker than she was.

We are almost there.......and then saw this very peculiar fungi. If anyone knows its name - we tried to look it up but this turned out to be more difficult than we thought it would be - then please let us know. With a last look on the landscape, we end this walk. Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.