Along the Pieterpad: hiking and camping
All of Holland Walks. It was already a popular activity among campers, but due to COVID, hiking as a leisure activity has taken off enormously. Therefore, attention is paid to the longest and most enjoyable: the Pieterpad.
The Pieterpad is a Long Distance Walking Route (LAW-9) of just under 500 kilometers. The route runs from Pieterburen in Groningen (near the Wadden Sea) to the Sint-Pietersberg in South Limburg. It was conceived by two walking enthusiasts: Bertje Jens from Groningen and her friend Toos Goorhuis-Tjalsma from Tilburg. When Bertje retired, they put the route together in five years – and walked it (1978-1983). For this, they linked existing walking paths with new, self-discovered routes.
The Pieterpad is a walking route of just under 500 kilometers. A complicated task, because the friends wanted to avoid footpaths along motorways and through industrial areas as much as possible. The Pieterpad leads over the smallest roads and paths, as unpaved as possible, and it is marked with red and white signs on posts, traffic signs and trees.
26 stages
The Pieterpad is divided into 26 stages (between 15 and 22 kilometers) which are extensively described in two walking guides. In the first 13 stages you walk 236 kilometers along Wierden and Borgen, through the city of Groningen, over the Hondsrug via peat colonies to the Vechtdal, the Sallandse Heuvelrug and the Achterhoek.
The second part again consists of 13 stages. You pass Vorden Castle near the town of the same name where you can also photograph the Pieterpad plaque. Then you pass Hoog Elten, the Duivelsberg and the Mookerheide. You then walk through the beautiful Maasheggen landscape and through the Krijtland. The Pieterpad ends at the viewing platform of the ENCI quarry: the limestone quarry near the Sint-Pietersberg, where the Eerste Nederlandse Cement Industrie (ENCI) started extracting limestone – 'marl' – for cement production in 1926.
If those 500 km of the Pieterpad are not enough, you can simply continue from the ENCI quarry with the GR5, which runs via the Ardennes and the Alps to Marseille, on the Mediterranean Sea.
Must do
The two Pieterpad guides are published by Nivon: from Pieterburen to Vorden (part-1) and from Vorden to Maastricht (part-2). Available at bol.com. There are also walking apps where the GPS in your phone keeps you on the right route.
Must see
In 2006, a bronze plaque was unveiled at Vorden Castle, in honor of the designers of the Pieterpad, Bertje Jens and Toos Goorhuis-Tjalsma. There is also a plaque in the Sleenerzand forest.
Must try
Along the Pieterpad route there are no fewer than 61 campsites – you can find them on www.pieterpad.nl. From the campsite, you take public transport to the starting point and walk back to the campsite.
Large selection of motorhomes and caravans
Explore the Pieterpad from your own camper or caravan? Our website offers a large and up-to-date selection of new and used campers and caravans. View the offer here. Even more interesting camping areas view here.
