De Liereman Nature Reserve

In the middle of the Kempen region, between Oud-Turnhout and Arendonk, you will find Landscape De Liereman with the fragrant Myrica gale. Here, you can walk between bone-dry sand dunes and soaking wet bogs. In the visitor centre with its spacious outdoor seating area, you can relax with a Gageleer beer or coffee and cake. The play forest is a mini-Liereman where children can romp and nature photographers can take beautiful snapshots. Six hiking trails, several herds of large grazers including Shetland ponies and Konik horses make for an outing to remember.

Activiteiten

Walks with a nature guide depart regularly from the visitor centre. Every Sunday there is a free walk with a nature guide at 13:30. Of course, you can also go out on your own. The visitor centre has a spacious car park. Children can play in the play forest and meet Bo. Families can explore the surroundings with the Boeboek backpack. Some fun assignments will teach everyone more about nature in the Landscape.

Schools can find adapted educational programmes in the visitor centre: nature management, educational walks, Bo’s Forest for pre-schoolers, water research, fieldwork in the forest, the orientation box, etc.

Fun for children

Children play in the play forest or go out with the Boeboeks. Young families can rent a Boeboek backpack. It contains a plan and various materials to perform all kinds of fun tasks in nature. For small groups of children, we also recommend the “Magic with Nature” package.

Access

• By car: follow the brown signs “natuurreservaat De Liereman” or the white signs “Bezoekerscentrum” from the centre of Oud-Turnhout.
  • For those coming from Turnhout: On the Turnhout ring road, at the intersection of coffee roastery MIKO, take the road to Mol-Oud-Turnhout. At the traffic lights in the centre of Oud-Turnhout, turn left into “Van der Bekenlaan”. At the church, turn diagonally right into “Draaiboom”. At the next intersection, turn left again into “Schuurhovenberg”. After a few bends and past the red and white Belgacom mast, turn right towards the recycling centre. Follow this narrow concrete lane: you will pass the recycling centre, the PVT of the Brothers of Charity and 200 metres further on, on your right, is the Visitor Centre.
  • For those coming from Retie, Arendonk, Mol, etc.: at the traffic lights in the centre of Oud-Turnhout, turn right into “Van der Bekenlaan”. At the church, turn diagonally right into “Draaiboom”. At the next intersection, turn left again into “Schuurhovenberg”. After a few bends and past the Belgacom mast, turn right towards the recycling centre. Keep following this narrow concrete lane: you will pass the recycling centre, the PVT of the Brothers of Charity and 200 metres further, on your right, is the Visitor Centre.

• By bike: you will find us between junction 61 and 62 of Cycling map 1 of the Cycling Junction Network Antwerp Kempen. The visitor centre is recognised as bicycle-friendly. So you will find a bicycle repair kit and an extensive first aid kit that can be used on request.

• By train: You can hire a bike at Turnhout station. There is a bus service to the centre of Oud-Turnhout. From there it is another 2 km walk to the Visitor Centre.