Attractions and Places To See in Mariahoutse Bossen - Top 3

The small St. Antonius Chapel is hidden along a quiet sandy road between forests, fields, and old farms. The current chapel was built in 2007, but is located near the spot where an older St. Anthony's Chapel once stood, which eventually disappeared after severe storm damage in the nineteenth century. The place still has that typical quiet atmosphere of the Brabant countryside. Hikers and cyclists often stop here briefly at the bench or the picnic spot next to the chapel, surrounded by nature and quiet sandy roads. Nearby is the Piet Swinkels Memorial Picnic Place, a simple memorial site that refers to the local history of the region and the war years in this area. Not a grand monument or a busy place, but rather a quiet piece of Brabant where nature, history, and the rural character still come together well.

In de Hei lies hidden along a quiet dirt road between the forests and fields of Mariahout. What is now a popular resting place for hikers and cyclists, was formerly a common Brabant dairy farm. For years, daily farm life revolved here with cows, stables, and small agricultural plots around the yard. Later, the farm was converted into a place where nature, tranquility, and hospitality became central, but much of the original character was preserved. The old rural atmosphere is still clearly visible in the buildings and the location amidst the forests and sandy paths. The name “In de Hei” refers to the past landscape of this region. Large parts of the surroundings used to consist of heathlands and poor sandy soil before many areas were afforested or reclaimed. People literally lived in the middle of the heath, secluded between dirt roads, small fields, and nature. That feeling still lingers around this place, especially due to its quiet location on the edge of the forests.

In de Hei lies hidden on a quiet sandy road between the forests and fields of Mariahout. What is now a popular resting place for hikers and cyclists, was once a typical Brabant dairy farm. For years, daily farm life revolved around cows, stables, and small agricultural plots surrounding the yard. Later, the farm was converted into a place where nature, tranquility, and hospitality became central, but much of the original character was preserved. The old rural atmosphere is still clearly visible in the buildings and its location amidst forests and sandy paths. The name “In de Hei” refers to the former landscape of this region. Large parts of the surroundings used to consist of heath fields and poor sandy soil before many areas were afforested or reclaimed. People literally lived here in the middle of the heath, secluded between sandy roads, small fields, and nature. That feeling still lingers around this place, especially due to its quiet location on the edge of the forests.

Chapel in honor of St. Anthony Abbot, a small alcove chapel with a canopy dating from 2007, at the corner of De Hei and Grensweg. The small chapel is located about a hundred meters from the spot where another small chapel likely stood until shortly after the Second World War.

Torreven can be admired in all its splendor

In the far west lies a military complex and south of the Mariahoutse Bossen one finds the Heieindse Loop. The area connects to the Vresselse Bos in the west, to the forests of Olen and Mosbulten in the southwest, and to the forests Lijnt and Het Geregt in the east. North of the area lies an extensive agricultural development. In the southeast a small marsh area, the Rietven, connects to the Mariahoutse Bossen. This is now a marsh area with birch and summer oaks. The area is freely accessible. There are walks, bridle paths and an extensive mountain bike trail has been set out in the forest.

The Mariahoutse Bossen, also called Lieshoutse Bossen or Lieshoutse Heide, is an elongated Dutch forest area of 158 ha that is located immediately north of Mariahout. The forest, which is owned by the municipality of Laarbeek, is a young heathland development and mainly consists of plantations of Scots pine, although other tree species can also be found, such as beech. In the southwest of the area lies the Torreven (sometimes also called Torrenven or Torenven). This is an elongated fen that threatened to silt up and was cleaned up in 1992. The area surrounded by heathland remnants is now managed in such a way that the forest edge is pushed back, which counteracts silting up because the wind has more play on the water surface. Here and there, parts are also being stripped of sods and the area is grazed by sheep.

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