Today, I begin my first long distance trail in continental Europe: the Netherlands’ Pieterpad.
After a decade (!) of long distance hiking — I finished the Appalachian Trail two days from now ten years ago — I finally have a chance to do a long hike on the European mainland. (I’ve been to Europe before, and in 2022, I hiked the Canary Islands GR131 with my partner, which was fantastic, but I haven’t done any long hikes on continental Europe.)
The Pieterpad wasn’t originally what I’d planned for this year’s European hike, but it’s fitting. Now that my partner and I have moved to the Netherlands, it seems appropriate to start off with a trail here. Walking this trail will sort of continue a “tradition” of hiking across countries in which I’ve lived in: twice in the US on the Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail, and in New Zealand on Te Araroa.
The Pieterpad
The Pieterpad is a roughly 500 km trail, running north-to-south in the east of the Netherlands, from Pieterburen on the North Sea, to Sint Pietersberg (Mount Saint Peter), near Maastricht and the border with Belgium.
Originally established as a route connecting the hometowns of two friends, and officially open since 1983, it has since become one of the most popular long trails in the Netherlands.
The trail is divided into 26 stages, each about 15-25 km long, and ending in a town. In conjunction with the Netherlands’s bus and rail system, this makes the trail quite well-connected: I’m currently on the second of four trains (and a bus) that will take me right to the trail’s northern terminus. It’ll be the first time I’ve gotten to the start of a trail from my home entirely with public transit! And there are plenty of bus and rail connections throughout its length, as well.
Being the Netherlands, the trail is mostly flat, so I expect it should be relatively easy, though I’ll have plenty of long days ahead. Passing through plenty of small towns along the way, this will not be a remote trail: I should be able to visit a grocery store nearly every day! The only significant logistical challenge, if it could even be called that, is timing the two ferries I’ll need to take to cross the Rijn (Rhine) and Maas rivers.
But now, it’s time to start hiking! As always, feel free to follow along!