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 ...
to
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)