Etappe 3

Another 25 km in the bag (plus a few extra detour)

This leg of the Pieterpad took us from Groningen to Zuidlaren, officially Etappe 3, but for us, it was our second day on the trail. And unlike last time, we were determined to finish what we started.

We parked the car at Q-Park Westerhaven, which was an easy-off-the-high-way yet central option. From there, we walked through Noorderplantsoen, a cute little city park, to reach Groningen Noord. Last time, we ended our walk there (battery-dead and sun-drained), so we had to loop back this time and officially pick up where we left off.

Groningen feels like a university city that never outgrew its youth: full of students, bikes going past, and many many relaxed cafes. 

We spent the night at Hotel Prinsenhof, a 15th-century building that once housed religious brothers and now does a brilliant job of offering dog-friendly luxury (yet somehow relaxed atmosphere). Dinner at their Brasserie with a glass of wine was just what we needed: quiet setting, and delicious food.

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The next morning, whilst the city slowly woke up, we set off from the hotel via Groningen Centraal to Zuidlaren. 

The first stretch was mostly suburban and shared with bikes (again). We’ve learned to accept the “look over your shoulder” rhythm this path sometimes requires. Once we reached Haren, though, everything shifted.

Big, beautiful houses peeked through tree-lined streets. Forests replaced roads. Our shoulders loosened. The deeper into Drenthe we walked, the calmer everything  - and everyone - became.

Some of our group paused their hike at the Hortus Botanicus Haren, a lovely botanical garden and easy train access point back to Groningen. A great halfway marker for anyone not keen on the full 25km.

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Around midday, we stopped at Paviljoen Appelbergen (this was right off the trail and a great carb load of pancakes) for lunch. This was needed as the accumulated kilometers were beginning to weigh on Mai. 

This stretch had us a little more disoriented than usual, either we were more unfocused, or the signage was less obvious, but we missed turns three separate times. No regrets, though: saw some beautiful mansions on these accidental detours. 

Toward the end we also found the hunebedden promised for this etappe. Hunebedden are ancient stone burial chambers dating back over 5,000 years.

After that, we pushed the few remaining kilometers into Zuidlaren, tired but happy. A quick bus ride (they run every 10 minutes) took us back to Groningen and eventually back to the car.