Through forests and hollow roads in Bierbeek

Bierbeek is a rural municipality on the linguistic border and a gateway to Hageland. In the distance you can see the famous water tower, painted like a globe, but today we walk to the other side of Bierbeek.

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Text and photo Mark Dedapper
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The municipality of Bierbeek is best known for its hollow roads, square farms and the Mollendaalbos, which is part of the Heverleebos. The church of Saint-Hilaire, partly Romanesque, is located on an elevation with the fortified cemetery next to it. We cross the language border and see a more open landscape with wide views in Walloon Brabant. Past the chapel 'au Rond Chêne', we also cross a beautiful hollow paved road. The walk can be shortened by 5 kilometers just before the language border. In the Flemish area, we partially follow the Zuid-Dijleland junctions and also briefly the GR. The text clearly indicates when we are leaving.

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The itinerary
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Parking in the Dorpsstraat in front of the church (1). With your back to the church, follow Dorpsstraat on the left. In a bend on LA Street. After 300 meters RA a paved road (Eggestraat) which turns into a hollow road. On paved road LA and after a few meters on KP7 RA to KP 70. Country road LA at KP 71 (at the entrance to the forest). RD passed the KP 72 barrier. To T bosweg LA and to KP 72 again LA. You arrive at a crossroads with shelter (2). Leave the nodes here and follow the red and white GR signs from here RD. After 50 m, at the end of a spruce, forest road RA. On the forest road T LA. At X of the forest roads RD and 150 m further a very narrow forest path 'forbidden to runners' LA – here you leave the GR. At T (edge of the forest) the wider road RA. You arrive at KP 75 with bank. Leave the RD forest towards KP 79. 100 m further on T LA – you arrive in Walloon Brabant. Attention: at the next triple jump (point A) you leave the junctions again and go RA on the narrower country road. Shortcut of 5 km: go to point A LA in the direction of KP 79 – after 50 meters you will arrive at the normal route coming from the right (point B) – RD // The country road turns into a hollow road. At a chapel (Chapelle au Rond Chêne from 1768) (3) follow the paved road for a while RD to turn left after a few meters. You enter a beautiful hollow road. Once out of the hollow road, take the LA country road abruptly. On T paved road LA. After 900 m of sharp terrain road LA. After 600 m first RA field road to a grove. At the T of the country roads (point B), you leave in RA. You are again at the nodes, which you will follow to the end. You now go, partly by a beautiful hollow road, to FP 79. You will pass in front of the St. Bernardus Chapel, accessible by a staircase of 20 steps. On asphalt (KP 79) continue RD to KP 78 and KP 77. Cross at KP 77 and continue on a hollow road towards KP 7 (note: do not follow the left branch until KP 7). In front of a beautiful square farmhouse (4) you arrive at a street street. LA and 50 m further RA trail (Kerkweg). On a LA bridge on a narrow path along a stream, which takes you back to the church of Bierbeek.