The Pieterpad: North to South
Our first idea is to walk the Pieterpad, mostly because it was the one trail we’d actually heard of. It is not because there are no other famous walks, simply because we had yet to actively seek them out. A familiar name, a somewhat legendary route, and a line that cuts straight through the entire country from Pieterburen in the north to Maastricht in the south. Simple enough. Ambitious, but simple.
The Pieterpad is a long-distance trail: about 500 kilometers of villages, dikes, forests, farmland, and the occasional jump out of the way from bikers. I'm wrting 'about' as we’ve noticed the actual distance varies a bit depending on who you ask or where you look for information, so we’ll share our final number once we’ve finished.
We’re tackling it bit by bit: weekends, holidays, whenever real life allows. No real hurry, but with the goal of completing it come spring.
As we go, we're sharing the highlights of every stage, along with the practical details we wish we'd known before we started. How easy is it to reach by public transport? Can you comfortably do it with a dog? And most importantly, is it enjoyable for ordinary people with full-time jobs who simply want to spend a weekend walking, travelling light, and having a good time - rather than seasoned hikers chasing mileage?
Take a look at the highlights of our experience on each etappes ("stages") below:
Etappe 1 & 2 : Pieterburen > Groningen (Noord)
Etappe 3: Groningen > Zuidlaren
Etappe 6: Schoonloo - (Noord-) Sleen
Etappe 7: (Noord-) Sleen - Coevorden
Etappe 8: Coevorden - Hardenberg
Etappe 10: Ommen - Hellendoorn