Netherlands > Pieterburen – Winsum – Groningen

In the morning, the alarm went off at seven o’clock. Klaasje had set out breakfast downstairs. She was already at work herself. Around a quarter past eight, we walked in about 10 minutes to Groningen station. We boarded the local train to Warffum. There we transferred to the small bus towards Pieterburen. By about half past nine, we arrived at the starting point of the Pieterpad. Before we began, we first paid a visit to the seal sanctuary in Pieterburen. Seals are always funny to watch, though there’s something a bit sad about it too. After twenty minutes it was time to set off on the first kilometers. Along a rather straight road we walked between the meadows towards Eenrum.

Netherlands - Seal center

A strong wind was blowing, but fortunately it came from behind at an angle. In Eenrum we had coffee at the local bakery. After that, we continued on to Mensingeweer. Via the sometimes rather bare roads we walked to Winsum. The center of Winsum is picturesque. Winsum is also the endpoint of the first stage of the Pieterpad. We had decided to continue walking back to Groningen, to return to our lodging from the night before. On the way to Garnwerd we occasionally faced a strong headwind, which made walking quite heavy. Just past the bridge over the Reitdiep in Garnwerd, we had lunch on a bench beside the windmill. Here we sat nicely sheltered from the wind. A cup of soup, coffee, and a sandwich. After this short break we continued through the charming authentic village of Garnwerd with its narrow streets.

Netherlands - Mensingeweer

After Garnwerd, the Pieterpad runs southwards through the hamlets of Oostum and Wiermerschouw. The promised coffee stop in Wiermerschouw turned out to be just a small hatch where you could ring for coffee or tea with a few chairs. We didn’t care for that and decided to walk on. Shortly after four we entered Groningen, and then spent some time walking through the city streets and park. In the center we had a beer in a café, and around six o’clock we arrived at our host’s place. At half past six Ans came to pick us up, after which we enjoyed dinner together at her home. By about half past ten we were back in the room and ready to dive into bed.