Today, the wheelchair-friendly version of the Pieterpad was opened in the Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park. The more than 500 kilometers of accessible routes make the Netherlands' most famous long-distance walking trail more accessible to people with physical disabilities and users of all-terrain aids such as off-road wheelchairs, mobility scooters, walkers, and strollers. 

The new wheelchair-accessible variant of the Pieterpad also leads walkers through three national parks. These are Drentsche Aa National Park, Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park, and De Maasduinen National Park. This makes the remarkable nature of these parks more accessible for people with wheelchairs or other all-terrain aids.

Detours

84 percent of the original walking route has been preserved. For permanent obstacles such as stairs, excessively steep slopes, and eroded paths, 82 kilometers of detours have been developed. These adjustments now make the Pieterpad the longest wheelchair-friendly walking route in Europe.

Accessible nature

A large portion of the 1.4 million Dutch people with physical disabilities are thereby given the opportunity to experience the Pieterpad at a walking pace. Whereas nature experiences for this target group are often limited to short paved routes, this variant runs along forest paths, heathlands, and hilly terrain. Thus, a larger part of Dutch nature becomes accessible to a wider audience.