Pants / Mariahout / Lieshout

The official starting point of this route is in a hamlet where two narrow roads meet. I could park the car there, but it might be more convenient to park in Mariahout on the Meerven, near the Bernadettestraat. This point is fairly easy to recognize as bicycle junction 68: there is a route sign next to it.

ROUTE:
The part through Mariahout is only short, because the route mainly runs on agricultural roads. Some parts are asphalted, a few parts are more difficult to walk on (especially because the ground was hard due to the frost), but you are far from the crowds here, so it is wonderfully quiet. In the winter the fields and meadows may look a bit gloomy, in the spring and summer it of course looks very different.

SIGNAGE:

Compared to other routes I've walked, this one is excellent. You see the arrows well in advance. The two times I couldn't find them so quickly, they turned out to be just behind a tree, so they can't be missed.
Towards the end of the route there is one point that can cause confusion. You have to turn right at a ditch, but the arrow doesn't tell you which side of the ditch to walk on! You don't have to worry here: you can choose both sides, because at the next exit you can just cross the ditch.

There are regular benches, in the last part you will find a lookout tower on a hill where you have a view of the area. The history of nearby Lieshout is also described here with references to historical places and buildings. Worth a look, although the stairs are very clumsy.

A must for those who love the tranquility of the countryside.