The Pieterpad is a long distance walking route in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. The trail runs from Pieterburen, in the northern part of

Groningen Groningen ( , ; ; or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen (province), Groningen province in the Netherlands. Dubbed the "capital of the north", Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of ...

, south through the eastern part of the Netherlands to end just south of

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...

, on the top of Mount Saint Peter (''St Pietersberg''), at a height of . The Pieterpad is one of the official Long Distance Paths in the Netherlands (Lange Afstand Wandelpad Nummer 9) and by far the most popular of its long distance walking routes. It is possible to walk the route in either direction, and throughout the year. It is well signposted, and is well served by public transport and accommodation throughout its length. The official guide book is in two volumes, Pieterburen-Vorden and Vorden-Maastricht. A dedicated website (in Dutch) also gives updated accommodation details.Pieterpad website: http://www.pieterpad.nl/ Although the walking is always easy and never remote, it is a varied and often beautiful walk, passing through woods, polders, heathland, and numerous small Dutch villages.

History

The trail was the idea of Toos Goorhuis-Tjalsma (1915-2004) living in

Tilburg Tilburg () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands, in the southern Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Brabant. With a population of 22 ...

, in the south of the Netherlands and her friend Bertje Jens (1913-2009) living in Groningen in the north of the Netherlands. They came up with the idea to design a rambling route between their hometowns, later re-organised between the far north to the far south. The route has been officially open since 1983.

Stages

The route of the Pieterpad is described in the following stages: The Pieterpad connects to the international trails E9 at its northern end in Pieterburen and the GR5 at its southern end and crosses the E11 in Oldenzaal and the E8 in Nijmegen. It follows the European walking GR5, which is also part of trail E2. The GR5, which runs through the

Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such a ...

, is one of the most popular international trails for hikers.

Gallery

Image:Pieterpad-Rolde-hunebedden.jpg, Hunebedden near Rolde Image:Pieterpad-Hellendoorn-Laren.jpg, Hellendoorn to Laren Image:Pieterpad near Laren.JPG, Near Laren Image:Pieterpad near Doetinchem.JPG, Near Doetinchem Image:Pieterpad-Groesbeek-Gennep.jpg, Groesbeek to Gennep Image:Pieterpad-Maas ferry-Grubbenvorst.jpg, Maas at Grubbenvorst

References

{{Coord missing, Netherlands Hiking trails in the Netherlands Geography of Drenthe Geography of Gelderland Geography of Groningen (province) Geography of Limburg (Netherlands) Geography of Overijssel South Limburg (Netherlands)