Pieterpad cycling route | Pieterburen & Winsum 65 km

Pieterburen, Bedum, Winsum

Two friends, Toos and Bertje, conceived and walked the Pieterpad between 1978 and 1983. A long-distance hiking trail (500 km) from Pieterburen in northern Groningen to Sint-Pietersberg in southern Limburg, it comprises 26 stages. The route is easily accessible by public transport and offers overnight accommodation. The scenery along the way is incredibly varied, yet consistently beautiful.

Where you can walk, you can also cycle, and we wouldn't be Fietsnetwerk (Cycling Network) if we didn't create some beautiful cycling routes inspired by the Pieterpad. We've created 14 routes totaling almost 1300 km, passing through all the villages along the Pieterpad. We've also made them loops so you always return to your starting point. This section takes you from Pieterburen, via Bedum, to Winsum.

Pieterburen is known for its mudflat center and seal nursery. It also boasts the oldest botanical garden in the Netherlands: "Domies Toen" (the minister's garden). Eenrum boasts an arboretum with 400 species of trees and 600 rhododendron varieties, created by notary Smit. Hence the name "Notoarestoen."

Well-known Pieterpad villages like Winsum and Bedum also have their own unique charm. Winsum was once voted the Most Beautiful Village in the Netherlands, while Bedum is known for its strikingly leaning church tower. In short: there's plenty to experience on this Pieterpad route too!