Lierke Cycling pleasure

Meet at the parking lot of Brasserie Afslag 86 on the Ranstsesteenweg in Emblem With the brasserie on your right you start towards KP 82. Take the first road on the left and keep at the crossroads with the beautiful tree chapel on the left. Follow the Hondstraat to the fork with the white-blue field chapel. Choose left and continue cycling until you reach Hagen broeksesteenweg. Turn right and 100 m further, left, into Dries. You cycle past some greenhouses and fields. At the end of the road turn left and on the next T turn right. You now cycle through the Paaienstraat with lots of greenery, loose buildings, a tall orchard and the walled white Hoeve Duwyck, a 17th century farmhouse, which underwent a number of renovations in the 50s of the last century.

At the intersection with straight ahead Terbankstraat (for cyclists), follow Stoofstraat to the right. At the end turn left on the Lispersteenweg until kp 82, at restaurant L'Histoire. Keep left towards FP 61. Cross the N10 (Antwerp - Lier) with the help of the traffic lights and continue cycling through the Alexander Franckstraat. Just after the railway crossing, turn left between the poles into the car-free Melkkuipstraat. In the end, you come to FP 61. Turn left, direction KP 63. You bolt through the Boshoek district (Boechout) and after the last houses, take the Mastenweg on the left. On the T, turn left. Then turn right with the Mastenweg and continue cycling to the railway. Follow the Langsweg to the right. At the first level crossing, follow vinkenstraat to the right until KP 63. Straight ahead, towards KP 11, through the open countryside and past some greenhouses. At the level crossing you are on FP 11. Cross the railway towards KP 13.

After a bend you come to the Lintsesteenweg. Turn left and then right into Hulststraat. You continue cycling on a wide asphalt road with some beautiful buildings and nursery D'Engeltjes. Ignore Maaikensveld on the left and cycle along the Hulsthoeve to the priority road with a brick chapel and KP 13. Turn left towards KP 27 along a cobblestone strip and on the T turn right. Via the Bremstraat you reach KP 27. Turn left towards KP 31.

View of the Nete

You will pass indoor playground De Ravotter and the accommodations of tennis and squash club 't Sas and the Pure Hotel to the Mechelse- steenweg. Cross it and turn right. On your left you will see the PIME (Provincial Institute for Environmental Education). Immediately after, take the first road on the left. That will take you to KP 31 on the Netedijk. On the left you see the PIME and the locks, where the Netekanaal begins. Turn right until you reach the centre of Duffel. Cycle across the bridge and you will arrive at KP 66. Follow the Nete towards Lier and KP 40. You bolt past café d'Ouwe Post and further along the locks on the Netekanaal.

Dive under the N108 and leave the dike on KP 40 towards KP 48. At the crossroads with the chapel you cycle straight through fields and meadows, past greenhouses and petting zoo 't Struisvogelnest. On KP 48 with a white chapel on the corner, turn left, towards KP 49. You cycle through the Heistraat with loose buildings and between fields and meadows. At the end of the Heistraat, follow Tallaart to the right until KP 49. Turn left into Kruisstraat towards KP 72. First between fields and meadows, then a residential part with loose buildings follows. Don't worry about side streets and keep driving straight until the intersection with the mandatory stop. Cycle between café 't Lammeke and the chapel with the stepped gable to the busy N10 (Lier - Aarschot).

Cross it carefully and continue cycling on Spreet, a wider asphalt road with loose buildings. Then turn right onto the first street. You bolt past the nameplate of Berlaar and continue cycling over Schaarbroek, a narrow concrete road between fields and meadows. After a house overgrown with ivy, you cross a dangerous intersection and cycle almost straight into the Molenstraat. At the end you come into the bend of Nethendal. Straight. The name changes to Spoorweglei and that takes you to berlaar station. At the end of the Spoorweglei you are on KP 72. Cross the railway and continue towards KP 28. Take the Molenlei on the left. At the end, follow the priority road to the right, over the wide cycle path. Ignore the side streets and keep left at the fork after the fire station. Take the cul-de-sac Tulpenstraat on the left.

As in Pallieter's time

Where it ends, you continue cycling along the path for cyclists between the fields. Just past the water treatment plant you reach KP 28, on the dike of the Grote Nete. Follow it to the left towards FP 30. You meander along the meandering river through a meadow landscape with a farm here and there. It must still look like it did when Felix Timmermans wrote his Pallieter. Approximately, because the Sigma plan raised the dikes and that is a different sight.

Continue cycling to the railway bridge. Turn left, parallel to the railway. Cross it via the first railway crossing and continue cycling over Neerloop. Bend around the walled Jesuit farm with a core from the 17th century and cycle further through a beautiful lane. At the end of the drive you cycle between horticulture to the Netekanaal. Follow that to the left and on KP 30, just before the bridge, take the Hertog Janstraat, turn left, towards KP 20. At the end turn right, across the bridge. You get a nice view of the Holy Family Church and the tower of the Sint-Gummaruskerk, also called the peperbus. Turn right into Kapelstraat and follow it to the Netekanaal. Turn left. You bolt under the N13 (Lier - Herentals) and arrive at KP 20. Continue straight ahead, direction KP 88.

Along the Lips

Just before the railway bridge, turn left and pass the entrance to the banquet halls of Hof van Nazareth Abbey and the partly moated Brasserie 't Oud Lier with picturesque terrace. You are now on FP 88. Cycle right under the railway bridge and turn left towards KP 87. You bolt parallel to the railway and then follow the Kleine Nete to the right. On the other side you get a nice view of the Lisp district with the Sint-Jozef Bernarduskerk and the football stadium of the Koninklijke Lierse Sportkring, which is usually called the Lisp. Note! The Lierenaars say it 'Lips'.

With a bend you come to the Netekanaal again. If you look closely, you can see that the Kleine Nete flows under it with a culvert. Turn left with the path, look right at the continuation of the Netekanaal and cycle along the marina of Emblem. You now bolt over the other bank of the Kleine Nete, towards Lier center. Leave the dike further on and descend to the Lispersteenweg. Follow it to the right on the wide cycle path until the traffic lights on the ring of Lier, which starts here. Like that of Antwerp, it is not closed. Cross the road with the help of the traffic lights and cycle between the poles onto the parallel road with the ring road. Then turn right onto the old railway bed of Line 205. Cross the Ranstsesteenweg and keep following the Safipad until you reach KP 87. Turn left, direction KP 82. You bolt past an orchard, where you can pick yourself at certain times and then arrive at the Ranstsesteenweg. Follow it to the right until you reach the departure point.