GPX ViewNetherlands
Pieterpad
The Netherlands crossed in its full length, from the village of Pieterburen on the Wadden Sea to the Sint-Pietersberg, above Maastricht.
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- Distance
- 501.8 km
- Elevation gain
- 955 m
- Elevation loss
- 866 m
- Highest point
- 134 m
- Walking time
- 127 h · ~21 d
Estimated walking time (DIN 33466 standard) — breaks, meals and overnight stays not included.
Tracks derived from OpenStreetMap data, under the ODbL license.
The terrain
Flat, except right at the end. The trail crosses polders, dikes, Drenthe heathland, Veluwe forest and Limburg farmland, on dirt tracks, canal banks and the odd country road. The mileage is the effort here, never the terrain — the only notable climbs are the Limburg hills in the final days.
When to go
Year-round, which is rare for a trail this long. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant; winter stays walkable, just wet and windy, with short days. Nothing closes, no pass gets snowed in: this is a trail with no dead season.
Access and stages
Pieterburen is reached by coach from Groningen; Maastricht is an international rail hub. Allow twenty-six stages, roughly a month. But it's the easiest route in Europe to split up: the Dutch rail network is so dense that almost every stage end is within reach of a station, and many people walk it a weekend at a time, over years.
Take the track into the field
The downloaded file opens in GPX View, which shows the route, the remaining elevation and your position on it — with no network once the map is saved.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this GPX free?
- Yes, no account or sign-up needed. The track is derived from OpenStreetMap and stays under the ODbL license: reusable, provided you credit the source.
- Is walking across the Netherlands monotonous?
- There's no elevation to speak of, but the scenery changes completely from north to south: the Wadden Sea, the Drenthe peatlands, the Veluwe heathland and the Limburg farmland have nothing in common. This is a route of variety rather than climbs.
- Do I need to book places to stay?
- In high season, yes: the trail is heavily walked by the Dutch themselves, and the guesthouses in the smaller stages are few. Out of season, you can usually find a room the same day.