The Laarbeek trail - Stage 4 (of 5)

Directions

Reference is made to route posts at various points. The entries are intended only as additional landmarks.

1.
At the main road through the village and with your back to ‘Oranjeplein’ leave RA, follow the road until a cycle path on your right just past the road “Veghelsedijk” towards ‘Zijtaart’ at the edge of the built-up area, ignore other side roads.
At the cycle path RA, follow the cycle path to a small bridge.
Immediately after the bridge LA, note the path is a footpath but also part of a ATB route, the unpaved path bends to the right, follow the path further until a bend to the left of the ATB route.
In this bend keep right, the ATB route is left, a little further at T-junction LA, wide path with separated gravel/cycle path and on the right hand some play equipment and picnic tables.
At junction with a through road RD, wn route, Torrenven, the clinker road with further on kn99 follow 92 turns into a wide unpaved path at the fenced area on the left of ‘Rotterdam Rijn Pijpleidingen’, follow the path to a junction beyond the fenced area, ignore side paths.

2.
At this junction RA, kn92 follow 20, red (white signs with red triangle) route, follow the path with a metal barrier tree and sign ‘Opened’ approx 140m to a narrow path on the left with red and wn route posts and four small posts, ignore other (ATB) side paths.
At this path LA, narrow winding forest path, wn20 and red route.
At T-junction LA, red route, the wn route is abandoned, path with fence on right hand side, then after approx. 40 RA through a folding gate, red route.
Before a low wooden fence, at T-junction LA, red route, then after approx. 30m RA, red route, follow the narrow path with the long side of the fen on the left until a path on the right past a small viewing platform.
At this path RA towards a folding gate in the forest, red route.
Past the folding gate, at crossroads RA, path with fencing on the right, the red route is abandoned.
At crossroads with a swing gate on your right RD.

3.
After leaving the forest, at crossroads RD, follow path with a low wooden fence on both sides and the large Vossenbergven on the left until a path on the left before a swing gate with a spring grid.
# The Vossenbergven was drained in the 1950s. Restored in 2019, the fen is dry after longer dry periods.
At this path LA, path with the fen on your left, past the fen through a folding gate, follow the path further to a T-junction at the edge of the forest, ignore narrow ATB paths.
At this T-junction RA, follow the path with the forest edge on the right to a 4-junction with a bench and a metal barrier on the right.
At this 4-junction keep left, path with the forest edge on your right, then at junction with a main road RD, unpaved path with the forest edge on your right.
At T-junction RA, follow the cycle path, immediately afterwards LA cross the main road, follow the unpaved path with separate footpath and metal barrier until a junction with a narrow path, ignore side paths on the left.

4.
At this junction RA, narrow path with a wn route post.
After approx. 140m, near blue (white sign with blue triangle) signpost LA.
At the T-junction RA, follow the path with an agricultural parcel on the left until you reach a T-junction past a metal barrier and a wide watercourse, ignore side paths.
At this T-junction LA, follow the wide path with a watercourse and an agricultural parcel on the left to a path on the left with a wooden footbridge and a bench about 200m past the agricultural parcel.
At this path LA, immediately afterwards past the watercourse, at T-junction LA, blue and wn route, a little further the narrow path bends to the right into the forest, a little past this bend the path bends slightly to the left in front of a path blocked with branches and continues meandering, continue to a T-junction with a blue route sign on the left.
At the T-junction RA, the blue route is left again, a little further past a blue route marker at the T-junction LA, narrow grassy path.
At junction RA, wide path with separate footpath.
Past a metal barrier and a wide watercourse, at T-junction facing a grassy field with club building of PHC De Heidehond LA, wide path.

5.
After approx. 70m RA, narrow winding forest path with sign ‘Open’.
At 4-junction with a blue signpost on the left RA, a little further with the PHC De Heidehond lawn on the right RD, ignore footpath with separate path on the left.
Just before a metal barrier at the edge of the forest, at the crossroads turn right (LA), also a narrow forest path.
At 4-junction with a metal barrier on the right RD, blue route.
At 4-junction with an ATB path on the left RA towards a metal barrier, blue route, past the barrier, at T-junction LA, blue route, follow the wide sandy path to a hardened road.
# At the road a short way straight ahead is the little chapel of St Antonius on the right. Around 1910, the landowner of a nearby field promised to build a little chapel if his daughter was rescued from the Mortelven swamp. The daughter was saved after which the landowner had the promised little chapel built. Later, the chapel fell into disrepair after which the current chapel was built near the disrepair.
At the paved road LA, blue route, follow the road to road ‘Schaapsdijk 2-4-6’ on the right.
At this road RA towards ‘In de Hei’, ‘Schaapsdijk 2-4-6’ follow the road to a stable with a terrace on the right.

6.
At this stable with terrace walk across the right side of the terrace, continue past the terrace to a T-junction in the forest.
At this T-junction RA, narrow forest path, past a fenced meadow on the left the path bends left with the fenced meadow on the left.
A little past the fenced plot, at junction with a wide path RD, then before the forest edge on the right, at 4-junction LA, path with a bench on the right.
At Y-junction keep right, the wide path following until a path on the left before a high post and on the right a heap of sand (viewpoint).
At this path LA, path with the post and a ditch on the right.
Past a wooden footbridge, at 3-spot RA, wn route, follow the path to a T-junction by a hardened road, ignore side paths.

7.
At this T-junction LA, kn15 follow 14, paved road.
Just before the forest edge, before a watercourse RA along a metal barrier, the wn route is left, grass/maintenance path with the watercourse on the left.
Past the 2nd weir, keep right at 3-spot, at this weir the watercourse goes under the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal.
Before the canal, keep right at Y-junction, follow the path with the canal on the left until a 3-junction at a paved road, ignore the path towards a house on the right.
At this 3-spot keep left, paved road with the canal on your left.
Past stream the Goorloop on your right RA, kn71 follow 72, follow the path with the stream on your right to a wooden fence with a wooden gate on your left around a nature reserve about 70m past a concrete bridge on your right.

8.
A little past the wooden gate keep left towards houses further on, the wn route is abandoned, follow path with the fence and a 2nd wooden gate on the left until a T-junction.
At this T-junction LA, follow the fence further on the left, past the fence the path passes between two hedges, at the end of the path past a metal pedestrian lock follow the hardened road De Wingerd RD until it changes into a footpath/cycle path through a public garden past house no.26 on the left.
In the public garden, at the crossroads RD, continue to follow the foot/cycle path through the public garden, then at the end of the path, at 4-junction LA, the road bends slightly further to the right.
RD, ‘Rietkampen’, road "Brug. Seelenlaan" on the right, immediately after past house no.36 on the left, turn into an unpaved footpath.
A little past this transition, follow the path with a bend to the right, ignore a small path on the left, RD about 40m past this bend, ignore the path on the right, then RA at the 3-spot, follow the path to a hardened road.

9.
At the road LA, immediately afterwards at T-junction RA, follow the road Pater de Leeuwstraat with canal on your left until road Rogier Monicxlaan on your right past house no.23, ignore other side roads.
At this road RA, ‘Rogier Monicxlaan’, a little further the road bends to the left.
Keep left at 3-spot, ‘Rogier Monicxlaan’, the road bends to the right.
Approx. 60m past this bend, past house no.35 on the left, at 4-junction LA.
At T-junction LA, road with the former church on the right.
Near house no. 8 RA, ‘Brouwersstraat’, follow the road to ‘Piet van Thielplein’ on the left, ignore side roads.
LA onto the square, the end point, across the square are bus stops on the left.

Legend:
RA = turn right, RD = straight on and LA = turn left
Walking networks:
Green/yellow markings, kn represents a junction post with numbered direction, wn represents a network route post with direction only.