Public walk Het Laar with IVN Laarbeek

IVN Laarbeek is holding a public walk through Het Laar led by several guides. The tour starts at the Laarbrug (the steel engineer's bridge) over the Wilhelminakanaal and takes about 2 hours.

Het Laar is a historic landscape in the heart of Laarbeek on the north side of the Wilhelmina Canal. This canal was dug in several phases between 1916 and 1923 and cut through a continuous field complex that stretched from the bowl of Aarle-Rixtel to the northwest of Lieshout. The walk follows the dirt track on the north side to the second dirt track on the right. There stands the beautifully restored, monumental farmhouse ‘t Vagevuur, which was once part of the hamlet De Hemel. Farmhouse De Hel disappeared when the canal was dug.
A little further on, the Goorloop plunges under the canal. Along this stream, on the Bavaria site, you can see a bank swallow wall built in cooperation with the bird working group of IVN Laarbeek. The route continues through the hamlet of Groenewoud, named after the former inn ‘St. Severus in het Groenewoud’. Along the banks of the meandering Goorloop near De Stater, plants such as comfrey, turnip rape and sorrel grow and bloom.

From the N615, the Goorloop can be seen flowing past a newly created nature reserve towards the Lieshoutse Beemden. Returning to Het Laar, the trail goes along the Rijakkerweg with the former municipal boundary the Beekse Akkers on one side and the 15th-century Beekse Toren, which belonged to the former parish church of Beek, on the other. The unpaved path leads past the Reijbroeken nature reserve with the Reijbroekse Loop. The Reijbroeken are very boggy due to recent rainfall, but the path is easily passable. At farm De Goeikamer, a national monument, the walk goes across the Laar back to the Laarbrug.

It is a varied walk-through of about 4 km. At certain points, the guides will tell you something about the history, cultural history and nature in the area. It is recommended to wear sturdy (walking) shoes. There are parts where it can be a bit swampy. Have an enjoyable hike!