The Pieterpad: my first-ever multi-day hike — a solo trip report

In May 2022 I walked my first-ever multi-day hike, and I did it on purpose in the Netherlands. I wanted to get my first real experience close to home — there was something reassuring about knowing that if it all got too much, I could get back home easily, instead of being stranded somewhere abroad. So the Pieterpad it was.

My wife and kids dropped me off by car in Swolgen, where I started. I'd walk from there all the way to the end of the Pieterpad, solo: six days, nearly 140 kilometres, sleeping every night in my little trekking tent. I carried my own food, but in plenty of villages and towns along the way I could top up with something extra.

Walking away

I still remember the first morning, watching the car leave. What I felt wasn't nerves — it was freedom. A wonderful sense of right, now I get to enjoy this. And that feeling stayed with me the whole way.

It wasn't nerves I felt when the car drove off. It was freedom — and the simple thought: now, just enjoy.

The toe that nearly broke me

Then came day three. My right little toe was completely wrecked from rubbing — bad enough that I had to patch it up with Compeed plasters and special tape, and I tied the little toe to the one next to it to cut down the friction.

A bit further on I met a couple resting on a bench who were also walking the Pieterpad. I got talking with them and mentioned my painful toe, and they gave me a tip: re-lace the shoe so there's more room at the front, so the toe stops rubbing. It worked instantly. I kept bumping into that same couple for the rest of the trip — that was really nice.

Why I do it

One day I sat down to have lunch right on the bank of the Maas. It was so peaceful, just sitting there enjoying it — pure bliss. And the South Limburg landscapes are genuinely beautiful: those rolling hills, and such friendly people everywhere.

That, for me, is the charm of the Pieterpad. You're often blissfully out in nature, but you also pass little shops where you can grab something nice. It's a slightly more luxurious hike than spending days completely in the wild — like Scotland or Sweden, where you're entirely on your own and there's nowhere to buy extra food.

The end stone

Reaching the end was a satisfying feeling — but also a bit of a shame that it was over. The very last stretch through the centre of Maastricht, on a Saturday, was honestly not a great idea. It was incredibly busy on the streets, and I love quiet, so that final bit I'd never walk again.

But I did walk all the way to the end of the Pieterpad, and I touched the end stone with the Pieterpad text on it, up by the ENCI quarry on the Sint-Pietersberg. There was nobody there to meet me. I walked back, picked up two hamburgers at the McDonald's to take with me on the train home, and that was that. Honestly? It could have lasted a good bit longer for me.

What it set in motion

That first positive experience was the foundation, and it left me wanting more. I started looking for my next trip almost straight away — which eventually became the Cape Wrath Trail in Scotland.

It also taught me something practical: as a beginner I was carrying seriously heavy gear. The Pieterpad was the start of swapping it all out for lightweight kit — a much lighter backpack, a lighter tent. Four years on I've found a balance: not everything ultralight, but a nice middle ground between good gear and not breaking my back.