Pieterpad

Summary

The Pieterpad is a long-distance walking route running along the full length of the Netherlands from north to south, much of it close to the German border. It is the most famous long-distance walking route in the Low Countries. While predominantly a Dutch walking route, on short sections the path crosses into Germany.

The trail was conceived by Toos Goorhuis-Tjalsma (1915–2004), living in Tilburg in the south of the Netherlands, and her friend Bertje Jens (1913–2009), living in Groningen in the north. They came up with the idea to design a rambling route between their hometowns, later organized between the far north and the far south. The route has been officially open since 1983.

The character of the walk is typically flat, especially in the wide pan-flat plains of the north, though don’t be fooled. While most of the walk is not much above sea level, there are occasions when the route climbs over 100 metres in altitude—the highest point of the walk is 135 metres (443 feet) at Schimmert. So, there are some climbs and much more of interest, including mesolithic tombs, medieval castles, forests, sand dunes, university towns, historic villages, and Maastricht, home of the euro.

Hellendoorn to Laren

Near Doetinchem

Groesbeek to Gennep

Ferry crossing the Maas near Grubbenvorst

Pictures courtesy of Wikipedia, Reference: Michael Perryman

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