Already at the river bed of the Swalm, the hiker can tell whether he is on the Dutch or German side: in Germany, the river has been canalised since 1904 and the Netherlands remained more or less untouched.
On the German side of the border a forestry area, on the Dutch side the area often still has the character of a primeval forest. For hikers, the path along the border was a secret tip for a long time. It runs along winding paths past wet meadows and pools for the protection of all kinds of plant and animal species: via the juniper heath, through the northern part of the Schwalmbruch to the open waters of the Elmpter Bruch.
The route follows the Swalm on both the Dutch and German sides. Via the Groenewoud in the Netherlands, you enter the Elmpter Bruch through the woods. While doing so, it is always in the vicinity of water. Beautiful views and forest alternate. The wonderful development of animal and plant life by restoring an old arm of the Swalm to its original state is wonderful to see.
The leaflet is available at the VVV tourist information offices and in the webshop.