NS MST Venlo-Roermond

Dressed up as an ultrarunner to the carnival because you only walked 35 km that day? No, this Northerner wanted to train in the hills of Limburg and was not discouraged by this thing called carnival..

This week, I finally managed to get rid of the tiredness and stress after Apeldoorn (extra irritation: the organization is proud to have only 35 photo’s at a marathon distance of 150 people). Today I really felt like a long training again. Preferably an NS-trail from train station to train station, of around 30 to 40 kilometers. Because storm Ellen was expected, the choice fell on Limburg instead of the coast: the route Venlo-Roermond with 35 km and about 300 altimeters away from the coast seemed ideal.

There was one small flaw in my plan: this weekend it's Carnival. However, a glance at the route quickly learned that crossing the centre of Venlo and Roermond was not necessary. So the NS-retour was quickly bought. During the day it wouldn't be too bad with that carnival, right?

In the morning the metro shook so hard that a woman on the platform still wondered if the little train wouldn't be blown off the track. Luckily, the situation was not so bad. As a precaution, however, some parades of the carnival, including in Eindhoven, were cancelled on Saturday. The trip went without a glitch, everything was on time and in spite of the fact that I already saw the first dressed up people – a pig mistakenly mistakenly taken for a rabbit – the train was largely empty.

The starting picture

Because of the wind it was cold. Even around Venlo. But fortunately I brought a warm down jacket, which I wanted to put in a locker at the station, together with my magazine and some snacks and a coke I picked up along the way. The station was supposed to have lockers and even during parties these are never full at big stations. Well, that was a little disappointing. There were only about nine lockers, one of which was defective. And everything was full. Two different NS employees also indicated: you won't find other facilities here (nearby). However, not everything fitted in my racing vest.

A tough dilemma; I had to run my mind over it for a while. Turning in as a lost and found? Then you don't get it back in time and the NS lady said that this wasn't really possible. I didn't want them to blow it up preventively, of course. In the end I decided to cram as much into the vest as possible: overpants, extra dry sweater and some of the food. I threw away the rest of my chocolate eggs (Tompouce flavor), a Runner’s World I had not read completely including an interview with Karel Sabbe and clutter from my coat pockets. I put the jacket in the defective locker the aforementioned NS lady had just provided with two large defect stickers. A bit dazed I set off, thus forgetting to take the mandatory photo with station clock.

Catholic

The first few meters I was still a bit tense. Also because there were a lot of dressed up people on the street and I seemed to be out of tune. But the man with habit under his coat and big dog really went to a monastery and turned out not to be dressed up (unless as a civilian). And a kilometre outside the centre there were not many dressed up people to be seen, and the folks just greeted there. A weight of the heart of this northerner who understands little of such a folk festival.

It's also really amazing how fast I left the city walls. Already after 1,5 km, right at a ruined castle, the trail started with a nice single track. And only a few kilometers later, another monastery followed, this time with a chapel on the driveway. Those who inexplicably missed the carnival – a catholic tradition to be allowed to let go of everything that's cropped up inside – couldn't ignore the catholic heritage in Limburg.

In the meantime I've ran quite a few NS-trails. Usually there is hardly anyone on the trails, or at most I meet about five people in 30 km. With the exception of parks in the city or extremely nice weather on Sundays. This time I have seen quite a lot of hikers. Whole groups were there. Mountain bikers were there too, but less present and on the MTB trails they were also just careful. That is certainly remarkable while everyone is celebrating carnival and there is a strong cold wind. So strong that I was very happy with my Montane tights with windstopper in front of the crotch. Saves a few wees… The only explanation I can give for the hustle and bustle on the trails is the beauty of the Limburg landscape. It is truly a magnificent route.

Mining

No, it's not the Mediterranean. But the azure blue water in the sand excavation invites you to dive. Although nature is clearly erupting, the wind and the lack of a towel made it better not to swim. But in summer dipping could be a nice option.

The red-yellow sand, and the sharply cut edges of the sand pits also suggest that there are many more beautiful and heavy training routes possible here. There are very steep climbing dunes to train strength, at least. I didn't meet any runners, but I did meet many hikers with binoculars. Online I found that many different plant and animal species have been spotted. Along the way I became more and more enthusiastic about the route, here I will probably come back again some day.

Crossing the Border

After about 14 kilometres, I left Limburg. Beep beep: ‘Welcome to Germany’. Luckily we can leave the phone subscription data on in Germany as well. Thanks to Simone I got a little addicted to the podcast No such thing as a fish. The ridiculous facts always conjure up a smile, but listening does eat up data. On a run like this, I go through quite a few episodes.

There wasn't much to see at the border itself. There was a former border post and restaurant, called De Grens. There was a sign about cooperation. And there was a vague, bilingual text about a joint annual polonaise. On the border line barbed wire hung exactly between two dirt roads. The landscape here consisted mainly of beautiful sandy paths, fens and a bit of heathland. And again there were sand excavations. Some are still active as witnessed by the excavators.

Lost

I've been quite adept with navigation since the TomTom 3 (later Suunto Trainer Wrist HR), but the trails in Limburg and Germany were difficult here and there. Even with the maps on my Garmin Fenix 5x, it wasn't always clear which path was the right one. Especially in the forest, there was sometimes a missing route on the map and there were sometimes many turns to choose from. Luckily I guessed correctly most of the time.

I did lose a lot of time at one point. I clearly walked wrong – on a path that was on the map but that deviated strongly from the line – and walked back and forth a few times to find the right path. The entrance to that path was nowhere to be seen. After some searching I decided to zoom out and see how I could get back on the path. Continuing along my path and then turning left, fortunately would only mean 200 additional meters. Once I reached the point where the line would start again, it was clear that there was no path on that side either. I was happy with the map, but wondered if the developer of the route here had bad luck with gps or just cut off when capturing the route. The deviation was much more than the 10m you can expect from gps.

It was already clear that this, too, would not be a fast route. Along the way I stopped several times to read signs and make photos. The hardest part was as always the action photos. With the iPhone it was usually quite easy, with my Android I really need to make a movie (tips for good apps without loads of advertising are welcome). The best thing is of course, is to take them on a hill. I'll save you how much unusable material that yielded. But when, at about 25 kilometers, the watch indicated that I had already passed the 3.5 hours, it took me a while to swallow it. My goal was not to go back too late because of carnival crowds and the accompanying public drunkenness.

Immer gerade aus

The last few miles really started ticking off. As many probably know, Garmin watches usually only have 50 directions, and those were already used up. With a few approaching junctions in sight, I checked the watch while running at speed (overtaking time). I was nearly galloping into a brand-new electric fence with three thin wires! Welcome back to the Netherlands… Strange was also that there was no step in the fence and that it was about 80 cm high. At the risk of my own crotch I jumped over it with the help of a pole. Phew.

With only 6 km to go, the area remained very rural. However, the city of Roermond could already be smelled. And that thundering sound I heard? Although there was nothing musical to be recognised at that distance, this could only be carnival sound.

The last kilometers went smoothly and soon I was at the station. From there I took a separate route to the stages. I decided to have a look, but with all the gates and rules, I was only able to take a photo over the fence from a distance.

Although the crowd looked very cheerful with all the fancy dress, I had already had my fun. Beautiful paths and nice climbs, only a little stretch of asphalt, and for next summer swimming water and cafes along the route. The NS route Venlo – Roermond I can absolutely recommend.

What about that coat? It was still in the locker at the end of the trip.