LOTUS EATERS TRAVEL

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THE PIETERPAD DAILY STAGES: OUR EXPERIENCE.

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“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul”

John Muir

Completing the Pieterpad was a bit of a pipe dream for us. We found out about it when we were in a pub in Belgrade idly researching walking trails that we hoped to complete once summer finally came around. And we swiftly added it to our hiking bucket list.

We have certain criteria when we are looking for a trail – is it in Europe? Yes. Can you camp on route? Yes. Can we do it less than a month? Yes. Are there ample opportunities for beers along the way? Yes. Are there bears on route? No. It was ticking all the boxes.

Then when we realised that the Pieterpad travels from Groningnen (John’s Erasmus Uni) to Maastricht (the city where I studied a masters), we knew that it was written in the stars for us.

In the summer of 2024, we finally got round to walking the route from start to finish.

In this blog post you’ll find an overview of key questions about the Pieterpad as well as our daily stages guide, based on walking 18 days on the route.

What is The Pieterpad?

The Pieterpad, otherwise known as the LAW 9, is a trail that allows walkers to thru-hike The Netherlands. It stretches for 500km from the north to the south of the country, weaving through farmland, national parks and cute towns along the way. It is called the Pieterpad, I assume, because it connects two “Pieters” – Pieterburn to the north and Pietersberg to the south.

Find out more about the trail and what we loved about it here.

Where does The Pieterpad start?

The official start of the Pieterpad is Pieterburen which is found on the very north coast of the Netherlands. Pieterburen is around 30km from the large city of Groningen.

Where does The Pieterpad end?

The Pieterpad ends at St Pietersberg, or Mount St Peter which is just on the outskirts of Maastricht. A cosmopolitan city to the south of the Netherlands, close to Belgium.

How long is The Pieterpad?

The Pieterpad covers approximately 500 kilometers (311 miles) from start to finish.

How many days does it take to walk The Pieterpad?

As the Pieterpad is a fairly flexible walking route, you can choose your own daily stages. You can subsequently adapt how far you walk each day to your fitness requirements and time constraints.

The Pieterpad website promotes the walk in 26 daily stages. We did not have 26 days to walk, so we chose to speed things up and walk in 18 days. I’d say 20 days is a comfortable pace, if you’re used to completing 25km in a day.

Pieterpad typical daily stages: 26 days

The Pieterpad is generally considered to span 26 daily stages. These are the daily stages set out on the official Pieterpad website and on many hiking trail apps.

• Day 1/ Pieterburen to Winsum – 12km
• Day 2/ Winsum to Groningen – 22km
• Day 3/ Groningen to Zuidlaren – 21km
• Day 4/ Zuidlaren to Rolde – 17km
• Day 5/ Rolde to Schoonloo – 18km
• Day 6/ Schoonloo to Sleen – 23km
• Day 7/ Sleen to Coevordon – 21km
• Day 8/ Coevordon to Hardenberg – 19km
• Day 9/ Hardenberg to Ommen – 21km
• Day 10/ Ommen to Hellendoorn – 21km
• Day 11/ Hellendoorn to Holten – 15km
• Day 12/ Holten to Laren – 15km
• Day 13/ Laren to Vorden – 14km
• Day 14/ Vorden to Zelhem – 17km
• Day 15/ Zelhem to Braamt – 17km
• Day 16/ Braamt to Millingen aan de Rijn – 25km
• Day 17/ Millingen aan de Rijn to Groesbeek – 20km
• Day 18/ Groesebeek to Gennep – 15km
• Day 19/ Gennep to Vierlingsbeek – 19km
• Day 20/ Vierlingsbeek to Swolgen – 24km
• Day 21/ Swolgen to Venlo – 21km
• Day 22/ Venlo to Swalmen – 23km
• Day 23/ Swalmen to Montfort – 22km
• Day 24/ Montfort to Sittard – 24km
• Day 25/ Sittard to Strabeek – 22km
• Day 26/ Strabeek to Sint Pietersberg – 17km

Our Pieterpad Daily Stages

We generally prefer to walk daily stages of between 25km and 35km per day. On this basis, we chose to walk The Pieterpad in 18 days.

Although we had devised a rough plan before we started, this changed as we walked – days where we had “more in the tank” we continued walking, and others we stopped short of where we planned to get to. This flexibility is one of the wonderful things about walking The Pieterpad – especially if you camp along the way.

Here is a summary of our daily stages on The Pieterpad.

• Day 1/ Pieterburen to Groningen – 36km
• Day 2/ Groningen to Zuidlaren- 21km
• Day 3/ Zuidlaren to Balloo – 27km
• Day 4/ Balloo to Sleen – 30km
• Day 5/ Sleen to Coevorden – 28km
• Day 6/ Coevorden to Rheeze – 27km
• Day 7/ Rheeze to Eeeleberg – 30km
• Day 8/ Eeeleberg to Laren – 27km
• Day 9/ Laren to Zelhem – 32km
• Day 10/ Zelhem to Eltenberg – 27km
• Day 11/ Eltenberg to Groesbeek – 23km
• Day 12/ Groesbeek to Groeningen (short of Vierlingsbeek) – 34km
• Day 13/ Groeningen to Lottum – 28km
• Day 14/ Lottum to Venlo – 18km
• Day 15/ Venlo to Zittard – 35km
• Day 16/ Zittard to Sittard – 34km
• Day 17/ Sittard to Valkenburg – 26km
• Day 18/ Valkenburg to Sint Pietersberg – 26km

The Pieterpad: Our stages in detail

Below you will find a detailed account of the daily stages that we walked on the Pieterpad. We hope that this will help you plan your Pieterpad journey. We also include a map of our adventure below.

Day 1/ Pieterburen to Groningen – 36km

HIGHLIGHTS

• We were so delighted to get going!
• Getting into Groningen was a highlight for us – John studied here many years ago and we were excited to visit together.

AMENITIES

Lots of amenities in Winsum – about 10km into the route. After this Groningen, has everything you could need.

ACCOMMODATION

Groningen is a large city with lots of hotels to choose from. We opted for The Happy Traveler, a simple hotel in the heart of the city. The City Hotel has a similar vibe and central location.

For anyone on a budget, Pjs Hostel would work well.

Day 2/ Groningen to Zuidlaren- 21km

HIGHLIGHTS

• We took time to explore the city in the morning, grabbing coffee as we wandered around the market.
• Zuidlaren is a pretty town and felt quite vibrant on a summer days when we arrived.

AMENITIES

After Groningen, there’s a supermarket in Haren (just off route). Then facilities in Zuidlaren – cafes and a couple of supermarkets.

ACCOMMODATION

We opted for Drenthe Camping Vledders, just outside of Zuidlaren. We always love a campsite near to a town so that we can buy ingredients for dinner and a few cold beverages before we get to our camp.

Day 3/ Zuidlaren to Balloo – 27km

HIGHLIGHTS

• Seeing gorgeous highland cows and pigs along the route. We also saw a field with about 20 stork birds – apparently they were once nearly exctict in The Netherlands, so it was a treat to see them.
• Balloërveld is stunning and very unexpected – sandy surfaces and heather seemed to appear from nowhere and made really pleasant walking conditions (well they looked pleasant, but walking on sand is always tricksy!)
• De baak is a sculpture with information about the Pieterpad. We also saw Dolmen – megalithic tombs – along the way.

LOOK OUT FOR

A couple of hours into the walk today, we reached an area of marshland around here. If there has been any rain, it is likely that this area will flood. I’d estimate that we walked for about 500m through knee deep water.

AMENITIES

Zuidlaren has cafes and a couple of supermarkets. We were able to stock up with lunch and supper provisions before we left the town.

We found one cafe on route today, Pannenkoekenboerderij Brinkzicht (don’t ask me to pronounce it.) It is primarily a pancake house, but they also sell more substantial meals.

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed at Mincamping Balloohoeve, our first experience of camping on the Pieterpad. This is a quiet farm campsite, there is a small shop but unfortunately it was closed when we arrived and we had to make do without a beer for the evening. A disaster that quickly dissipated once our tent was up and we realised how tired we were.

Day 4/ Balloo to Sleen – 30km

HIGHLIGHTS

• We caught a glimpse of our first flower fields, most of the flowers had been cut but there were a few stragglers to bring us cheer.
• Lots of lovely woodland trails, which made for peaceful and meditative walking.
• The campsite was an absolute delight, one of our faves on this route. The owner had taken great care to ensure that trekkers arriving and staying at the site had everything they needed. So lovely. More details below!

AMENITIES

At the start of the route in Rolde there is an Albert Heijn as well as a pharmacy and ATM. Towards the end of our day we also found a supermarket in Sleen,

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed at  Minicamping Pieterom – we loved this campsite as it was our first experience of staying in a “trekkers pitch”. The hosts here have thought of everything that walkers need – there’s somewhere to dry clothing, the option to buy cold beers and plenty of places to charge your phone. There is even an little cozy reading nook inside the trekkers hut.

If you wanted to walk a shorter day, we noticed a campsite around Nord Sleen – Sleenerzand Bedandbreakfast and mini camp.

Day 5/ Sleen to Coevorden – 28km

HIGHLIGHTS

• Much of the walk is along canals today which felt like uniquely Dutch scenery.
• Coevorden is a lovely town, we really enjoyed the public gardens where we would sit and enjoy lunch before getting to our accommodation.

AMENITIES

A lovely cafe, Cafe Boerhoorn, was about 7km into the walk and a good opportunity for a break.

Coevorden has lots of amenities, supermarkets and restaurants/ cafes.

ACCOMMODATION

There are a couple of hotels in Coevorden town – Fletcher Hotel, or Hotel Restaurant Talen (which has slightly better reviews.) For campers, there’s a site a few kms outside of the town Arendshof-Camping – you can walk or take a short bus to get there.

Day 6/ Coevorden to Rheeze – 27km

HIGHLIGHTS

• Hardenberg is a really cool town – we were pleased that it was towards the end of the walking day as we could stop for a nice Dutch beer in the garden. We picked a quite traditional looking pub in town. As we left the area, we saw Grand Cafe Restaurant de Troubadour, which looks quite special on the river – next time!
• After Hardenberg the walk follows a river and a very pretty area of parkland, we saw lots of people out walking and an interesting canoeing area. The walk passed quickly – perhaps it was the beer beforehand.

AMENITIES

We stocked up in Coevorden before making our way onto the route. But actually we hadn’t needed to – there’s also a supermarket in Grabsbergen and then lots of facilities in Hardenberg, which is a large town.

ACCOMMODATION

We camped in Family Verunink campsite. I’d say that this was one of the most basic sites we stayed in on the Pieterpad. Quite simply a field and a toilet. But found in a good location for the Pieterpad.

Day 7/ Rheeze to Eeeleberg – 30km

HIGHLIGHTS

• As you might expect, the Pieterpad is a very flat walking route. Quite often, we had days where my phone app recorded zero stairs climbed. Zero! Today, there’s a rather amusing mini-hill – the route directs you round an obscure way, just to climb it. An enjoyable and quite amusing moment.
• Later, we found an actual hill – Archemerberg. A mountain peak in a beautiful national park. We were surrounded by heather and lovely scenery for most of this section.

AMENITIES

There was a cafe in Rheeze that we got quite excited about, but unfortunately it was closed when we arrived. A little later, perhaps 5km in, we found a campsite serving (mediocre) coffee and snacks. Around 15km in, there are two eateries opposite one another – one is a smarter pub/ restaurant, the other a casual cafe – we paused for some bitterballen.

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed at a delightful campsite just short of Hellendorm. Natuurcamping Eelerberg is a family campsite, with fam more facilities than we could make use of during the 12 hours we stayed there. But we loved our tree-lined pitch, and the chance to grab a beer and some warm food on site.

Day 8/ Eeeleberg to Laren – 27km

HIGHLIGHTS

• Coffee with a sweet treat in Hellendorm, a lovely town with an excellent bakery.
• The area of national park (Sallandse Heuvelrug) between Hellendorm and Holten was delightful – peaceful, pretty and spacious.

AMENITIES

Hellendorm town was a few kms into our walk. There’s a supermarket, restaurants, cafes, a bakery and a pharmacy. Once through the national park is the village of Holten, which has a supermarket and a few other bits. We chose to stock up on dinner items here knowing that we wouldn’t see another shop until after the campsite.

ACCOMMODATION

We picked a wonderful campsite – Farm Camping Hietkamp. We arrived without a reservation and thankfully were taken in. There are trekkers pitches, or full pitches, as well as an area to hang out inside (with plugs and a kettle etc.) A great place to stay for an evening. Just note that the campsite is short of Laren, so if you want to buy anything you’ll need to walk a little further first.

Day 9/ Laren to Zelhem – 32km

HIGHLIGHTS

• Lovely walking along the river as the sun comes up over the water.
• We see lots of bright colourful meadows with wild flowers.
• An all round pleasant and sunny day of walking that made us feel as though the summer would never end.

AMENITIES

Laren is a small town with a few bits, unfortunately it was shut when we arrived on a Sunday morning. Ordinarily, there is a supermarket and a couple of cafes. Vorden has plenty – a nice cafe and a good sized supermarket.

ACCOMMODATION

Camping Pluimerskamp is a basic campsite just outside Zelhem.

Day 10/ Zelhem to Eltenberg – 27km

HIGHLIGHTS

• We got very excited about seeing the “Pilgerweg” sign posts, denoting pilgrimage routes similar to the Camino de Santiago.
• A pleasant day of walking with lost of woodland trail and a path going past Slagenburg Castle.
• The route crosses the border into Germany today, and we actually stayed overnight on the German side.

AMENITIES

Zelhem has everything you could need in the morning. We stocked up at the supermarket and were able to get coffee in town before walking. After this, there is a formal lunch spot at Slagenburg Castle – we skipped this as we weren’t sure they’d welcome to scruffy looking walkers.

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed at Sprungmann-Franken GbR Campingplatz. We had high hopes for this campsite, as it looks on the map like it is near a lake. Sadly the area around the lake is private, so we were just in a small field and felt a bit hemmed in. The host was lovely and overall experience still nice, but a little bit of a let down.

Day 11/ Eltenberg to Groesbeek – 23km

HIGHLIGHTS

• The initial walk along the road/ river was quite monotonous but when we reached Tolkamer, we found a lovely row of waterfront cafes.
• The ferry to Millingen aan de Rijn was a fun surprise (2 euros per person)
• The route passes into Germany again, to the village of Zyfflich – we found the the contrast between Dutch and German architecture really interesting.

AMENITIES

Tolkamer has a number of cafes on the water. Later, Millingen aan de Rijn has a couple of supermarkets and cafes.

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed at campsite De Hoge Hof, this turned out to be one of the most expensive sites we stayed on – 25 Euros, plus coins for the shower. But it was a lovely relaxing tent pitch and we enjoyed our relaxing stay here.

Day 12/ Groesbeek to Groeningen (short of Vierlingsbeek) – 34km

HIGHLIGHTS

• A long walking day but broken up with a few towns on the way – Gennep was the ideal spot for lunch. A cosmopolitan town and we wished we had longer to hang out there.
• Het Quin Hiking area – following round a lovely lake area, was very enjoyable meandering.
• Another short ferry ride took us across the river Muese at Afferden.

AMENITIES

Groesbeek has a supermarket and cafes. Gennep is a large town with any facilities/ amenities you might need. Afferden has a small fast food restaurant.

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed at Minicamping de Brunk – quite possibly the friendliest of all the campsites we stayed at on the Pieterpad. We turned up without a reservation and were welcomed by the lovely owners.

Day 13/ Groeningen to Lottum – 28km

HIGHLIGHTS

• This felt like an easy and pleasant day of walking through woodland areas and closer to flower fields.
• The campsites near to Lottum was a total highlight for us – fabulous facilities, including the honesty bar (meaning we could have cold beers at our camp!)

AMENITIES

Vierlingsbeek is the first town we came to in the morning. It has a large supermarket and a few cafes. A short while later, Holthees has a cafe. After this there were no amenities until we reached our campsite.

ACCOMMODATION

We picked a campsite a few hundred metres off route, just short of Lottum. Camping ‘t Heike is such a wonderful campsite, we had a huge area to ourselves as a trekker area. Our favourite feature was the indoor communal space, which had a fridge stocked with drinks with an honesty bar system.

Day 14/ Lottum to Venlo – 18km

HIGHLIGHTS

• We caught a glimpse of some pretty rose fields near to Lottum. The area is known for hosting a rose festival.
• Houthuizer Kapel – a tiny chapel where we were able to take refuge from the rain.
• Grubbenvorst is a delightful village – we stopped for coffee, lingering as long as could in a pretty cafe.
• Venlo is a really cool city – we hadn’t planned to stop, but decided to call it a day and stay overnight in the city. Partly due to bad weather, but we also were sucked in by the chance to sit in Venlo’s charming Dutch squares.

AMENITIES

Coffee shops and supermarket available in Grubbenvorst . After this, we didn’t find anything until Venlo.

ACCOMMODATION

We chose to stay in a hotel in the city centre – Milk and Cookies. A convenient and well decorated place, with good rates last minute.

Day 15/ Venlo to Zittard – 35km

HIGHLIGHTS

• Coffee in Venlo before we left the city was a great start to the day.
• The route is predominately on trail today, we loved the German national park – Heidemoore I which felt very atmospheric.

AMENITIES

Venlo has plenty of amenities before leaving the city. After this, we didn’t see anywhere until Swalmen which has lots of amenities. Sint Odiliënberg just before our campsite had facilities – it’s not directly on route, but easy to come off.

ACCOMMODATION

We stayed at Camperplaats Roerdalen, just south of Sint Odiliënberg.

Day 16/ Zittard to Sittard – 34km

HIGHLIGHTS

• A quite rural route with a bit of road walking and some pleasant forested areas.
• We really enjoyed Sittard as a city and we are glad we made the choice to stay in a hotel so that we could enjoy the bars/ restaurants and buzzy atmosphere of a summer night.

AMENITIES

Montfort, quite early on, has a small supermarket. After this the route is quite rural and we didn’t see any amenities until we reached Sittard.

ACCOMMODATION

We opted for simplicity in the city and booked to stay at Hotel de Limbourg.

Day 17/ Sittard to Valkenburg – 26km

HIGHLIGHTS

• A great day of walking along tracks. It started with an actual hill as we left Sittard into a park, with a pretty chapel.
• This section of the Pieterpad is quite popular, so we started meeting more walkers and there was a great vibe on the trails.
• Valkenburg is a tourist town, with caves, castles and a pretty centre around the river. We really enjoyed mooching about.

AMENITIES

We shopped for snacks and lunch in Sittard supermarkets. Terborgh Castle is on route, we stopped for a drink in the pretty garden. After this, we didn’t see any amenities on route until we got to our campsite.

ACCOMMODATION

We chose to stay at a campsite just short of Valkenburg – CityKamp Valkenburg – Maastricht. This is a great campsite, lots of space and facilities. But it is at the busier end of things – a large family campsite. We really enjoyed being able to get pizza and beer on site whilst we tackled our laundry!

There is a second campsite, Camping de Cauberg, which is a little closer to Valkenburg, but it was fully booked when we visited. There are also hotels in the centre of town.

Day 18/ Valkenburg to Sint Pietersberg – 26km

HIGHLIGHTS

• The last day and the walk to Maastricht seemed to breeze by, despite a few small “hills” and a detour or two due to floods.
• The route is mainly on trail through farmland or forest.
• I hadn’t visited Maastricht since I studied there 15 years ago, so the excitement of arriving to the city and crossing the bridge was huge!
• The route actually ends in Sint Pietersberg, at Mount st Pieter. We felt it was a bit of an anti-climax at the end, until we found the photo opportunity.

AMENITIES

After Valkenburg, we didn’t see any amenities until we reached the outskirts of Maastricht.

ACCOMMODATION

Social Hub Maastricht is a good budget option. Or Hotel Beaumont, for something a little more fancy.

You can find our full guide to visiting Maastricht here.

Frequently asked questions about The Pieterpad

Here are a bunch of frequently asked questions, including questions that we had before we walked, and the answers.

Do you need to book accommodation in advance on The Pieterpad?

We booked our first week of accommodation before we set off, and then adapted our plan as we walked. Generally, we would try to book a campsite before we arrived. But on a few occasions, we just turned up without a booking and got a pitch. We walked in summer and some of our walk overlapped with the children’s school holidays – i.e. peak time.

If you plan to camp, I recommend having a loose plan for the Pieterpad and trying to book campsites at least a day or two before you arrive. Most campsites will always have space for trekkers turning up in the summer. That said, as you get closer to Maastricht, bookings may be more important.

For anyone not camping and planning to stay in hotels/ B&Bs, or using the “Friends on Bicycles” system – you would be best to book accommodation in advance.

Is it safe to walk alone on The Pieterpad?

We walked the Pieterpad together, as a couple and felt very safe. Although I cannot testify for people walking alone, we did meet a few people walking the route alone including women.

There are a few things along the way that would make me feel safe – seeing lots of people (not necessarily walkers, but every day I saw a ton of people out and about), Dutch people are incredibly friendly and helpful, lots of accommodation on route, lots of facilities (supermarkets/ cafes etc), access to emergency services and no real language barriers for anyone speaking Dutch or English.

Some parts of the Pieterpad do go through remote woodland areas, and I have to admit that this sort of terrain does make me feel a little uneasy when I am alone. But, I think it always felt much safer on the Pieterpad knowing that we weren’t far from a town/ village. Plus, Dutch people seemed to ALWAYS be out and about on bikes, making the environment feel much safer.

Can you walk The Pieterpad with a dog?

Of all of the long-distance hiking trails that we have completed, I think the Pieterpad would be the easiest to do with a dog. Much of the walk is on trails, through wooded areas which would be ideal for dog walking. There are a few sections where leads would be required for dogs – walking through towns, on road or where livestock are found. Otherwise, I imagine it would be quite relaxed walking with a dog.

Perhaps the second consideration for anyone walking the Pieterpad with a dog, would be finding suitable accommodation. We opted to camp and found that most camp sites, if not all, that we stayed on where dog friendly. It’s less likely that B&Bs and hotels along the route would all be dog friendly.

Is there public transport on The Pieterpad?

Yes. Public Transport in The Netherlands is pretty good, certainly by UK standards! Even in the remote and rural areas that you walk through on the Pieterpad, there are often buses or trains available. This means that you can skip sections, or take public transport if you’re injured or need it for any other reason.

We used buses a few times, for short nips and tucks on the route, or on one occasion to avoid terrible weather! We found that Google Maps had up to date bus and train times. And you could pay with any standard debit or credit card onboard, simply tap in and tap out on buses.

Can you get a certificate for walking The Pieterpad?

I understand from the official Pieterpad website that there is a certificate available for completing the route. You can buy it when you get to Maastricht (albeit not available in the centre of the city), or online from The Pieterpad website. If you order online you can have the date you walked and additional text added to your certificate.

What is a bit of a shame, I think, is that there is no stamp book/ credential available for the Pieterpad. Many long-distance hikes, like the Camino de Santiago, have a credential which allows you to collect stamps along the way – this is always such a lovely souvenir.

If you’d like something similar, you could collect items from each stage – receipts for drinks, beer mats, photos, or small souvenir items would work well.

Will you meet many other walkers on The Pieterpad?

We were really surprised that when we walked the Pieterpad during the summer, that we did not meet many other walkers. In total, we met perhaps 5 people who were walking the length of the Pieterpad. We did also meet a few more people who were walking sections of the route -this is quite a popular activity for Dutch walkers to do over the weekend.

More commonly, we met people cycling the Pieterpad. This seemed to be a super popular thing to do in the summer. And of course, you can cycle the route much quicker than walking – so we didn’t tend to meet the same cyclists twice on route.

Written by Emma

Wine Lover. Yogi. Hiker. Writer.

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