From the Johanneschurch in the northern tip above Groningen to the Michaelschurch just over the Afsluitdijk in Alkmaar, Het Ziltepad stretches across the entire northern coast of the Netherlands, also known as the Wadden coast. The idea is that you walk there like a true pilgrim, on foot from church to church. With a network of volunteers along the way to advise and assist you (including the occasional meal or bed). Back to basics along the rugged Wadden coast, in connection with yourself and the environment around you. Beautiful, isn’t it?
I hiked a section of Het Ziltepad, just a few of the now 15 stages, from Sint-Jacobiparochie to Zurich. A beautiful stretch through polders, over dykes and along the Wadden Sea. With the centuries-old city of Franeker and the port town of Harlingen along the way. On the route, I slept like a true pilgrim in a church, supported by the parishes’ more than hospitable volunteers. Let me take you along my stages of Het Ziltepad in this blog!
Practical info
Name: Het Ziltepad
Location: from Johanneschurch in Losdorp tot Michaelschurch in Den Oever
Distance: 301 km
Signs: GPX-routes of knooppunten
GPX-routes
Starting in Sint-Jacobiparochie
I started my part of Het Ziltepad at the Groate Kerk of Sint-Jacobiparochie. This is immediately very typical for many pilgrims, as this is where the northernmost start in the Netherlands of the Camino to Santiago de Compostella begins. I fortunately did not walk all the way to Spain, but only a bit further along the Wadden coast.
The day before the first stage (from Sint-Jacobiparochie to Peins), my hiking companion and I arrived in Leeuwarden. This is an easy place to travel to by train or car, making it an ideal starting point for Het Ziltepad. From Leeuwarden, we took a taxi to Sint-Jacobiparochie, where we stayed the night with friendly farmers in the surrounding area.
Tip: before you start the route, have a good meal at Proefverlof, a cosy waterfront restaurant. Ideal for a sunny day!
This was an immediate first introduction to Frisian hospitality. For although the inhabitants of Friesland are known to be rather closed to outsiders, we received a more than warm welcome at every place! Our chatty Dutch hosts were only too happy to chat.
Spending the night in churches: how does it work?
You walk Het Ziltepad from church to church, so to speak. Each stage starts at a church and ends at a church. These churches are kept open by volunteers and often you can not only look around but also sleep in them. How? Well, on camp beds! Inside the church, you will find about 2 camp beds with a blanket where you can spend the night sheltered. But you won’t get more than a camp bed and blanket either. It is therefore important to bring your own thick sleeping bag (and possibly an extra mat). After all, it can get pretty cold!
You won’t find a shower in these churches either. Of course, you will find a toilet, sink, a table and chairs to eat at, and often the possibility of tea and coffee. At least one day before arrival, call the local volunteer to ask if there is a place available. With them you can also ask for breakfast and sometimes even a hot meal in the evening. There is nothing cozier than joining a table with one of the villagers after an exhausting day of hiking!
On the Alde Fryske Tsjerken website, you will find a list of participating churches in Friesland, each with the details of the local contact persons. Spending the night in the church costs around €15 per person per night. Make sure you have cash with you!
Beware: in these villages there is often nothing of a supermarket or restaurant to be found. So be sure to call a volunteer to ask if they can provide you with breakfast, dinner or a packed lunch. Or make sure you have enough food with you yourself.
Stage 1: from Sint-Jacobiparochie to Peins
23 km of walking along farm tracks
The walking route from Sint-Jacobiparochie to Peins is about 23 km long and leads you along farm tracks, between fields and over old dykes to the next village. You start at the Groate Kerk, converted into a parish/cultural centre and equipped with camp beds to spend the first night.
Once you leave the village, the route takes you over a whole number of old dykes: embankments that used to hold back the water, but now serve as pastures for sheep. So don’t be surprised to pass the occasional flock! But sheep are not the only animals you will encounter here. Wild deer hop their way through the surrounding fields. Occasionally, they are startled by your arrival and you can see them fleeing across the arable land.
The first hamlet you pass is Firdgum, where only a church tower makes it seem that this is a village. It is also home to the Yeb Hettinga Museum, a small regional museum of archaeology.
After Firdgum, continue your way to Ried, which with its small harbour along the river De Rie is a charming village to stroll along. In summer, you can get a drink in the port’s renovated boathouse, but off-season there is not much more to do in this village.
The last part of this day trip, from Ried to Peins, starts along the river De Rie, but soon turns into Farmers’ Paths. These are paths that sometimes literally run through a farmer’s field and were opened to hikers. So you often just walk along the edge of a field, and yes, that can be muddy at times!
Once you arrive in Skingen, you know it’s only a half-hour walk to your final destination. And not just any destination! Peins is without doubt the cutest village we came across that day. Rightly an ideal place to spend the night. Marked by its church of Sint-Trudis and only a few streets large, it has the quiet village charm you only find in the countryside.
Spending the night in Sint Gertrudis church
Just before arriving, I called Friederike, our hostess for that evening and the village volunteer who manages the church. She makes sure pilgrims like us can spend the night in the church with peace of mind. She moved to this small village from Germany 25 years ago: ‘I’m never going to fit in completely, you have to be born here for that,’ she told us, ‘but they have embraced me here and I am now really part of the village community’. On arrival, we found a fresh bouquet of flowers and delicious cakes on the table, as well as coffee and tea to finally put our legs up after a long journey.
In Peins there is really nothing at all outside the church, so in the evening we were allowed to join Friederike at her home, a small house just behind the church. She made a fantastic pasta dish there – we were incredibly hungry – and invited another curious villager to join us at the table. Stunned by the hospitality, we enjoyed a wonderful evening.
Tip: you will find a stamp in every church along Het Ziltepad. So you can stamp each church in your walking booklet. A nice souvenir after your pilgrimage!
Stargazing with Waddensky
Did you know that the Wadden coast is one of the best locations in Western Europe for viewing the universe? Most of Belgium and the Netherlands are scarred by light pollution – too much light at night which makes it harder to see the stars. On the Wadden coast and the islands, there is hardly any light pollution. As a result, it is pitch black, allowing you to spot the Milky Way galaxy, and in exceptional cases, even the Northern Lights!
Koen of Waddensky will be happy to give you more info on this and let you take a look through his telescope at our universe, with the necessary explanation of the stars and constellations you can see at that time of year. Highly recommended!
Stage 2: from Peins to Harlingen via Franeker
The beauty of Het Ziltepad is that you can either follow the route exactly, or experiment with extra loops and extensions. One of these extra loops is the circular tour from Peins to Franeker and back. We took advantage of this tour to walk to Franeker (about 6 km), a medieval Frisian town whose highlight is Eise Eisinga’s Planetarium.
Private tour of Schalsum church
From Peins, our 2nd day of hiking started towards the village of Schalsum, about as small and almost as charming as its predecessor. The must-see of this hamlet – which actually consists of only one street – is the St Nicholas church. Unlike our previously visited churches, you cannot spend the night here, but the friendly verger is willing to open the door for you and give a little tour.
Indeed, just before you turn off towards the church you come across an imposing building, this was once the presbytery, but is now being converted by a handy harry. Who also turns out to be the key keeper for the church. And he seems to know a huge amount about the history of it! The friendly man saw us passing and spontaneously offered to open the church for us. Talk about Frisian hospitality!
After visiting this colourful little church, it was time to continue our walk towards Franeker. Although the hike is not insanely spectacular, the visit to the church of Schalsum and entry into Franeker is definitely worthwhile. We walked into the city past allotments and through meadows, until we emerged onto the city’s moat. An amazingly beautiful piece of nature which must have once been the city ramparts. And Franeker itself is at least as charming. Here, a visit to the famous Planetarium Eise Eisinga awaited us.
The oldest planetarium in the world
In the late 18th century, astronomer Eise Eisinga decided to turn his living room into a planetarium. What should you imagine? Planets coming out of the ceiling, beautiful paintings, and a whole network of radars to display the exact time, dates and position of the planets. A true 18th-century planetarium! And unique in the world. In fact, it is the oldest working planetarium in the world. Moreover, the man was just a wool comber, studying the galaxy was purely a hobby.
Tip: after your visit to the planetarium, stop for lunch at Brasserie De Stadstuin. This super cosy brasserie is the ideal place for a bite to eat. Be sure to try one of their freshly baked cakes!
You will also have noticed the building directly opposite the Planetarium by now. This is the old town hall of the city of Franeker, where you can even take a look for free. A staff member will be on hand inside to give you a comprehensive tour of some beautiful rooms: the wedding hall lined with gold leather or the council chamber with its many references to local traditions. Be sure to take a look here!
Harlingen: a port city with history
The route from Franeker to Harlingen is not an official part of Het Ziltepad. However, a route of some 32.8 km runs from Peins to the village of Zurich, right through the city of Harlingen. You arrive at the port town after kilometre 26. Do you really want to follow the exact route of Het Ziltepad? Then continue with the round trip from Franeker back to Peins, spend another night in the little church and continue your way to Harlingen the next day.
I chose the slightly easier option, and that is the train from Franeker to Harlingen. In only 12 minutes you arrive in the port city! Ideal if your legs are a bit tired by now from the long route the previous day.
Visit on a 16th-century expedition ship
From Harlingen, ferries leave for the Wadden Islands of Vlieland and Terschelling. However, I stayed on the mainland and visited the historic ship the Witte Swaen, an exact replica of the original expedition ship of Willem Barentsz, who went in search of a northern trade route to Africa in the 16th century.
Volunteers from Harlingen took about 10 years to reconstruct his ship as precisely as possible: according to old-Dutch techniques and entirely out of wood! A fine piece of precision work by a gang of enthusiastic historians. In Harlingen harbour, you can visit their free exhibition on Willem Barentsz and they will be happy to give you a tour of their hand-carved ship. Highly recommended!
Spend the night in a harbour house
In Harlingen, there is no possibility to spend the night in a church – you actually have to walk further to Zurich for that – but luckily there are plenty of other original addresses where you can go! At Dromen Aan Zee they manage the most unique places to sleep in the entire region: high up in a Harbour Crane, Lighthouse or Sea house. I spent the night in Zeehuisje Ahoy, a cute, wood-clad cottage overlooking the harbour and the sunset. Definitely one of the coolest overnight locations in the region! And no lie, after a few nights in a church, you appreciate the luxury all the more.
The advantage of sleeping in a city is that you can also eat out. No better address for this than ‘t Havenmansje, a gourmet restaurant located in the city’s former courthouse. The speciality? Surprise menus! You have no idea beforehand what you will get on your plate, the only thing you do know with certainty is that it will be delicious. The chefs have won multiple awards for a reason.
Tip: also stop in Harlingen for an ice cream at Ijssalon Min 12 and stroll through the historic city!
Stage 3: from Harlingen to Zurich
Walking via Zurich to the Afsluitdijk
Our last day on Het Ziltepad, we continued walking along the Wadden coast to Zurich. This is about 8 km from Harlingen and can be extended by another 11.8 km or so to Oosterland, on the Afsluitdijk, which separates the Wadden Sea from the IJsselmeer. Together, a nice route of just under 20 km.
After a hearty breakfast in our Havenhuisje, we started our hike on the dike towards Zurich. This dike is also the path for the entire route up to the village. Besides being a walking and cycling path, it is home to grazing sheep. And in spring, a whole bunch of hugely cute lambs! You have a fantastic view of the Wadden Sea and the many ships sailing in and out of Harlingen harbour.
Tip: listen to the podcast of Het Ziltepad during your walks. That way, you will learn about the history of the villages and churches you pass while walking.
Once in Zurich – not to be confused with Swiss Zurich – we immediately head for the church. On the way, we come across the village’s only shop, a fisherman’s shop, which is also where the lost mail from Swiss Zurich, which was actually supposed to go to Zurich in Friesland, arrives. Unfortunately, the church was not open that morning, nor did we find a villager who knew who had the key. Normally, you can also spend the night on a camp bed in this church and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee.
After your visit to Zurich’s little church, you can continue on towards Kornwerderzand, where you will find the Afsluitdijk Wadden Centre and a whole host of World War II bunkers. Inside the Afsluitdijk Wadden Centre, you can enjoy an exhibition on the Frisian waters. In restaurant Skom you can go for a bite to eat and a drink, and on the centre’s roof terrace you can enjoy spectacular views over the dike, the border between the Wadden Sea and the IJsselmeer.
Ending in Leeuwarden
After this stage, our trip on Het Ziltepad was over. The only thing left for us was to return to Leeuwarden. This is easily done by bus. In fact, they have a perfect bus service here that takes you back to the big city every half hour. In Leeuwarden, you can then take the train home again or pick up your car.
I myself made one last lunch stop in Leeuwarden at Lazy Lemon, a super cool place in the city centre for lunch or dinner. I can already tell you that the pancakes are highly recommended!
FAQ
Can you reach Het Ziltepad by public transport?
Sure! You can take the train to Leeuwarden or Groningen to start Het Ziltepad without any problems. Depending on your starting point, you will first have to take a bus or taxi to the village in question. After your trip, you can easily take the bus or train back to either of these towns.
How long is Het Ziltepad?
At the moment, Het Ziltepad consists of 15 stages ranging from 11 to 32 km. In total, all stages add up to 301 km, not including the optional loops. Fortunately, you can also just walk a few stages. No need to complete the entire route immediately.
Where does Het Ziltepad start?
The Ziltepad starts in Stroe in Friesland, on the Afsluitdijk, or Losdorp in Groningen, one of the northernmost points in the Netherlands.
How is the route of Het Ziltepad signposted?
On Het Ziltepad, you will not find any signs showing you the way. You navigate the route using junctions or the GPX routes that you can download from the Het Ziltepad website.
Have you ever walked Het Ziltepad yourself? If so, I am very curious to hear your experiences! Feel free to leave them in the comments below.
