From the Wadden Sea to Castle Vorden – Pieterpad long-distance hike part 1

Before you start with the official Pieterpad, you can take a walk from Pieterburen as a warm-up. If you arrive in North Groningen the day before you actually start, it is certainly nice to take this walk to the Wadden coast.



This route is therefore not part of the official Pieterpad and is also a shorter… read more

The landscape from Pieterburen is wide and open, with a very fertile sea clay bottom. The sea deposited this clay here. It was a Wadden region that was flooded at very high tide; with every flood it added a layer. The region is also called "The High Country". Transport was over water, over channels created… read more

The landscape from Pieterburen is wide and open, with a very fertile sea clay bottom. The sea deposited this clay here. It was a Wadden region that was flooded at very high tide; with every flood it added a layer. The region is also called "The High Country". Transport was over water, over channels created… read more

The Pieterpad runs out of the city along the Noord-Willemskanaal. The winding road is the dike along the Drentse A. Here it runs together with the canal. At Haren you walk along the edge of an urban area on the border of 'higher and lower' and drier and wetter land. Beyond Haren you walk on the first… read more

The fourth stage of the Pieterpad starts next to the church of Zuidlaren, where the third stage has ended. Today there are 17.5 kilometers on the program, so you have more time to take a break or take a look around you. Before we visit the countryside again, you first walk past 'Dennenoord', the well… read more

It is time for the fifth stage of the Pieterpad. You start in the village of Rolde, practically next to the church. From here you first follow a part of the former railway line. Despite the fact that the rails were largely removed in 1977, you can still recognize the route of the track in the landscape… read more

The sixth stage of the Pieterpad starts in Schoonloo. With a length of 24 kilometers, this stage is the longest on part one of the Pieterpad. Also, make sure you don't encounter any villages or towns along the way, making it smart to bring plenty of food and drink for a break along the way.



Schoonloo… read more

Sleen is a beautiful village; old farms have been converted into impressive houses. From Sleen you walk south into Drenthe. There used to be an inaccessible peat bog here. The path follows old peat canals such as the Verlengde Hoogeveensevaart. Peat ships brought the dried peat to the cities as fuel… read more

The walker experiences special transitions in the landscape between Coevorden and Gramsbergen. First there are still typical farms of the sandy soils with large trees. Then you walk through an environment where water predominates. Canals and the Overijsselse Vecht form a complicated junction of waterways… read more

This stage shows a lot of nice variety. From Hardenberg the route continues through the Vechtdal. The river was straightened around 1900. To Rheeze you walk along dammed bends, pools of the "old" Vecht. Rheeze is a picturesque village. After this the route runs over a high bank of the tamed Vecht. This… read more

Stage 10 of the Pieterpad is one with many highlights. Even literally, in this case. From Ommen you leave in a southerly direction until you reach the hamlet of Besthmen. You can see the landscape change from Dutch flat to hilly. Especially when you climb the Lookout Tower Besthmenerberg. This 18 meter… read more

The eleventh stage of the Pieterpad starts in Hellendoorn. Perhaps best known for the amusement park, but the village itself is also nice. There are beautiful farms and an ancient church. It is not big, so if you have started your walk for today, you will walk out of Hellendoorn.



With about 15.5 kilometers… read more

After Holten there is one last fold of the Sallandse Heuvelrug, the Beuseberg. What follows is flat farmland and unexpected beauty of the beech avenues along the impressive Schipbeek. After this you walk almost unnoticed into the Achterhoek on long quiet roads through farmland. You can call the old Landgoed… read more

This thirteenth stage is the last of the first and northern part of the Pieterpad. You leave the beautiful town of Laren and as soon as you walk outside the built-up area, you walk into the farmland.



On the way you walk from one beautiful estate to another beautiful country estate. You also walk for a… read more