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 is almost entirely surrounded by forest and it is therefore not surprising that the first part of your walk is through the woods. The forests in the region have been developed. About a hundred years ago there was a lot of unemployment in our country in general, and in this region in particular. The creation of these forests was therefore a job creation project. The heather that was originally here was dug up by human hands to then plant trees. Many stones were excavated with the digging. These stones and boulders are also called flints and have been incorporated into forest roads. These roads are also called flint roads.The route runs through Boswachterij Sleenerzand, which consists of peat and wet heather, interrupted by fens and lakes. Some areas of heather on the route were previously plowed and turned into fields.About halfway you cross the Oranjekanaal, 44 kilometers long and dug between 1852 and 1858. After the canal, the path leads through the forest. When you come out of the forest and see the fields around you, you can already see the church tower of beautiful Sleen in the distance, the end point of this stage.There are a number of cute Bed & Breakfasts in Sleen.