Hiking trip: Pieterpad 'all the way' - 28 days

Travel to Baflo station on your own. From there, a transfer will be arranged to Pieterburen (about 10 minutes). Upon arrival in Pieterburen, check in at your accommodation. If you arrive early and have some energy left after your journey, take our 10 km 'County Hike' prologue! This pleasant extra loop lets you explore the area north of Pieterburen and admire the expansive bird-rich Wadden Sea from the dike.

After breakfast, start your first stage of the Pieterpad. Begin at the 'Pieterpad wall', take a selfie, and start walking! Along the way, pass through the charming mound village of Eenrum with its late Romanesque church from the 13th century. Enjoy the vast, sometimes windy Groningen countryside with its wide green pastures. In the village of Mensingeweer, admire the beautiful windmill from 1855. Finally, reach your destination, Winsum, voted the most beautiful village in the Netherlands in 2020.

After your overnight stay in cozy Winsum, continue through the Hogeland with its meadows, grain fields, and cloudscapes to the village of Garnwerd, a great place for a coffee or tea near the Reitdiep canal. Walk further through the polder, over narrow bridges, and past red brick farms. In Oostum, admire the village church on a mound. Follow numerous small paths along the water on your way to the historic city of Groningen. Once there, you will pass through the Northern Park, along the picturesque harbor, the A-church, and the Groninger Museum.

Start the day at Groningen's monumental train station and take your first steps through this delightful city. Just outside the city bustle, you will pass two lakes, before you walk into the Drentsche Aa National Park. Stroll through the village of Haren, then through the Appèlbergen, and later through the Noordlaarder Forest. Shortly after the forest, near the path, you will see your first dolmen. You are now in the province of Drenthe! This first dolmen won't be the last, as there is another one at Midlaren, a short distance before your day's destination, Zuidlaren.

From Zuidlaren, head to Westlaren after breakfast. Then continue through the Schipborg estate to the Gasteren Dunes. In addition to the high sand drifts, you will find a dolmen here, not fully intact due to stone theft in the distant past. In the village of Gasteren, admire the beautiful, characteristic Saxon farms. As you walk through the beautiful Balloër field, enjoy the expansive heath, where ancient burial mounds can be found. Part of this stage is on the so-called Hondsrug (Dog’s back), designated a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015.

Near the start of this stage in Rolde, you'll see two of the most famous dolmens in Drenthe. After admiring these megalithic tombs, continue through the beautiful Drentsche Aa National Park, an ancient landscape created by human and natural collaboration. Walk through the Drouwener field, a stunning area with heaths, forests, and fens. Here, Drenthe's characteristic sheep graze, and you might even encounter imposing Highland cattle! The last stretch goes through a lovely forest area, eventually arriving in the village of Schoonloo.

Leaving the Drentsche Aa via the Schoonloo forestry, you enter the Sleenerzand forests. During a delightful walk, you will find a nearly 26-ton erratic boulder from the last ice age, just off the route. Further in the beautiful Sleenerzand, you'll pass the 'Pieterpad monument', erected in honor of its creators, and other historical sites like the 'Celtic Fields' and the burial mound field the 'Galgenberg'. If you deviate from the route slightly, you can visit Dolmen 49 before heading to picturesque Sleen.

Before leaving Sleen, one of the most authentic brink villages in Drenthe, visit the restored village pump and windmill ‘De Hoop’. Continue through the beautiful Drenthe landscape with its typical farms and green pastures. Stop in the 'whisky' hamlet Den Hool or the nearby peat village Dalerveen for a coffee break. If you have energy left, visit the castle in Coevorden, which has a tumultuous history due to its location between the Hanseatic cities of Münster and Groningen.

Leaving 'goose city' Coevorden, you enter the beautiful nature of the ‘Poort van Drenthe’, marked by a stone artwork of the same name. You exit Drenthe and enter the province of Overijssel, following the valley of the Overijsselse Vecht river. In Gramsbergen, admire the picturesque old town with beautifully restored houses and the bronze statue of 'Pieterpad' walkers. Continue the route, passing the hamlet of Ane and through the England forest, located in an old meander of the river Vecht. Finally, end the day in Hardenberg.

On the trail, first walk along the 'Molengoot', an old course of the river Vecht. Enjoy the subsequent natural beauty in the Rheezermaten, a protected nature reserve. Then visit the beautiful village of Rheeze, with its history dating back to the Middle Ages. This protected village has plenty to see. Enjoy walking through the Hardenberg forest and along the banks of the rivers Vecht and Beneden-Regge. The route continues over the Junne estate, eventually ending in the lively town of Ommen.

The Pieterpad continues through the Vecht and Beneden-Regge basins, a hilly part of Overijssel. This is evident from the Ommerland watchtower at the top the Besthemerberg (112 ft). Climb the tower and enjoy the beautiful view over the Vecht valley! Other Dutch 'mountains' on the route include the Archemerberg (256 ft) and the adjacent Lemelerberg (144 ft). In this undulating landscape, pass the 'Fat Stone' boulder and walk along the juniper bushes on the Lemelerberg. Admire the monumental 'Lion' in Park 1813 and reach Hellendoorn via the wooded Eelerberg estate.

Today, traverse the Sallandse Heuvelrug, a moraine stretching from Ommen to Holten. This is Overijssel at its highest, where soft hills are covered by forests and heaths. Via the Hellendoornse Berg, walk towards 't Ravijn. View the 'Stardust' artwork here, installed after a brief gold rush in the past. Pause at the poignant monument commemorating the Twilhaar forced labor camp. Enjoy the nice panoramas atop the Haarlerberg and Holterberg and walk through the Noetselenberg estate to finally enter Holten.

Leave Holten via the hamlet Beuseberg, located on the outskirts of the Overijsselse moraine. Follow a stately beech lane near the Schipbeek brook, cross the water, and enter the region of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek with his typical farms. Be sure to visit the beautiful Verwolde manor with its pleasant tea garden. This estate also houses the so-called 'Dikke Boom' (Fat Tree), the largest oak tree in the Netherlands. Further along the route, before reaching Laren, you will pass De Binnenhof, an 18th-century rectory expanded into a beautiful villa in the 19th century.

This day starts with a walk-through Groot Dochteren, a unique hamlet with scattered farms. Cross the Twente canal and the Berkel river on your way to the Velthorst estate, with its magnificent viewpoint over the Kienveen area. Then stroll through an extensive heathland where conifer forests were planted after 1920. Arrive at the stately manor Het Enzerinck, built in neoclassical style in 1826. If you have time and energy left upon reaching Vorden, consider visiting the nearby beautiful Hanseatic city of Zutphen, just 9 minutes away by train!

Just outside Vorden lies the beautiful, eponymous castle. Beyond that, across the Vorden brook, you are halfway along the Pieterpad and find the monument of the two female path's designers. Continue through the varied landscape of the Kieftskamp estate and head through the small village of Linde towards manor 't Zelle. This monumental estate, once a farm, is now a recreation park. Before reaching Zelhem, walk through the now forested 't Zand, once a large shifting sand area.

First, walk through the beautiful landscape of the Heidenhoek. Here stands the stately Silo Tower, also known as the 'Cathedral'. The next notable point is Slangenburg castle, inhabited and rebuilt by various castle lords since the 14th century and now a guest house. Further on, cross the Oude IJssel, an important river for the iron industry in the 18th century. Pass the Waalse water and continue towards Braamt. You will know you have arrived when you stand face to face with the nice windmill of Braamt.

Here, in the eastern part of the province of Gelderland, right on the German border, lies the beautiful Montferland region. A hilly forest area with magnificent views. Walk through the Bergher forest and over the Hulzenberg, a hill (272 ft) where an observation tower offers expansive views over the area. You might encounter people without shoes; after all, you are on a so-called barefoot path! Continue through Hoch-Elten and enter the watery river land of the 'Gelderse Poort'. Arrive in the former border post Tolkamer on the river Waal, where you take the ferry to Millingen a/d Rijn.

The day begins in the so-called 'Duffelt'. Walking through this river polder, just before the village of Leuth, pass the Plezenburg, a striking terp farm from 1810. Continue along the Wylerberg lake and climb the Duivelsberg. This 249 ft high hill is part of the Nijmegen moraine, formed in the last ice age. At the top, find the remains of the 'motte' castle Mergelp, dating back to the 11th century. Enjoy a splendid view over the Ooypolder and the Waal's floodplains. Walk further through the rolling hills of the Nederrijk estate, finally arriving in the wine village of Groesbeek.

Via the Groesbeek forest, leave the province of Gelderland and enter Limburg. Walk through a beautiful forest area, conquering the Sint Jansberg. In this lovely nature reserve, follow winding paths through the hills, passing lakes, ponds, and hedge-surrounded meadows. Pass Milsbeek, once famous for its pottery. Just before the town of Gennep, at the spot where the Niers and Maas rivers meet, lies the 'Genneperhuis', a fortress that was once impregnable for centuries. In Gennep, admire the Martinus tower, the Mosaic square, and the old market, surrounded by beautiful historic buildings.

Leave Gennep via the dike along the Niers and head towards the Heijen forest. Enjoy the natural beauty of the Maasduinen National Park, shaped by water, wind, and human activity. The park forms the longest continuous ribbon of river dunes in the Netherlands. During a delightful walk, pass the Quin, one of many large, reflective ponds. Rest in Afferden while waiting for the ferry to cross the Maas. Once on the other side, you are in the province Brabant, where you reach your destination, Vierlingsbeek, via the Groeningen hills.

Shortly after leaving the village of Vierlingsbeek, you will reach the ruins of the 15th-century castle 'Makken'. Continue to Smakt, the pilgrimage site of Saint Joseph, and reach the beautiful shifting sand area of the 'Boschhuizer Bergen'. On the Geysteren estate, reach the Oostrum brook and the watermill of Rosmolen. Along this part of the route, you can also admire the St. Willibrordus chapel. Another sight is the former castle farm from 1619, the 'Kasteelke'. Continue your way to the North Limburg church village of Swolgen.

Just outside Swolgen, enter the Schuitwater nature reserve, located on an old Maas meander. The wet forests here are accessible via wooden boardwalks. Pass the Houthuizer chapel and 'Huys Kaldenbroek', a 15th-century castle farm. Just before the village of Grubbenvorst, pass the Ursuline Convent, and take the ferry across the Maas. On the other side of the water, enjoy a pleasant walk through the beautiful floodplains of the 'Océ-Weerd'. Finally, arrive in Venlo, where you should visit the monument-rich St. Martinus street and the 16th-century town hall.

Leave Venlo behind and set off on the heathlands of Jammerdaal, with its former clay and sand quarries. Then follows the Wambachgroeve, also formed by clay extraction. This transitions into the beautiful 'Holtmühle' nature reserve, right on the German border. Walk along or over the Prinsendijk, where various small bunkers, so-called 'tobruks', from World War II can be seen. Reach the ‘Meerlebroek’ nature reserve, following the fast-flowing and meandering Swalm to the lively village of Swalmen.

The first cultural highlight today is Hillenraedt, a beautiful 14th-century water castle. Walk through the surrounding count's forests to reach the aristocratic castle farm Zuidewijk Spick via an old Roman road. Continue your way to Melick, a church village in the Roer valley. Cross the river and reach the charming village St. Odiliënberg. Walk further through the shifting sands of the 'Sweeltje' and arrive in Montfort. If you have some energy left, visit the ruins of the ancient castle with its information centre, cellar complex, and castle garden.

Near Montfort lies a valuable cultural landscape. Stand at the ‘Duvelskei’ and enjoy the view over the fields of the ‘Grootbroek’, once a large swamp. If you deviate from the route slightly, you can visit the Cistercian abbey of Lilbosch. Back on the Pieterpad, pass the recent find site of the treasure of Pey, dating from Roman times. Walk a bit into Germany through the Iron Forest, and re-enter the Netherlands at Isenbruch, the country's narrowest point. In Sittard, visit the St. Peter's Church and the Cloister Quarter before relaxing at one of the cozy terraces on the old market.

On the way, the Kollenberg appears, a beautiful piece of urban nature, with the chapel of St. Rosa at its highest point. It is not the only one, as there are seven chapels along the rising path. Walk from the high church village of Puth along the Geleen brook to Terborgh castle. Then through a so-called 'grubbe' along the Diependal geological monument to Terstraten, with its typical Limburg farms. Look up at the 'Giant of Schimmert', an old water tower, and reach the highest point of the Pieterpad at 427 ft. Through the beautiful Raven forest, arrive in the hamlet of Strabeek.

Walk through Ingendael and the heathland of Bergen, two beautiful, adjoining nature reserves along the river Geul. Reach the marl quarry Blom, a deep, abandoned shaft, where marl was extracted until 1999, now a true nature paradise. Descend into the ‘Bemelergrubbe’ and pass small marl caves. Soon after, walk through the outskirts of Maastricht on your way to the historic centre, from where you head towards Fort St. Pieter, located atop the St. Pietersberg, blessed with great viewpoints. Here, you have reached the end of the Pieterpad!

After breakfast, the Pieterpad adventure truly comes to an end. Congratulations!