The most famous hiking trail in the Netherlands, the Pieterpad, is made suitable for wheelchair users step by step. Interest organization Moving Beyond Limits checks every stage and maps obstacles.
In addition, the testers also encounter in Drenthe obstacles, such as too narrow bridges, mul sand at the Balloërveld and a cattle gate that can only be climbed over.
According to co -founder Julie Taal, the mission is ambitious: in 2026 the entire Pieterpad must be accessible to people with a wheelchair. “We want to show what is possible. With small adjustments and good diversions, the path becomes an example for the whole of the Netherlands,” she says.
The Pieterpad has 26 stages, six of which are walking through Drenthe: from Groningen to Zuidlaren, via Rolde and Schoonloo to Sleen and Coevorden, to the border with Hardenberg. It is precisely in these Drenthe pieces that obstacles come to light. For example, at Rolde there is a cattle fence with three steps that is simply impassable for wheelchair users. Moving Beyond Limits works together with other organizations to place an alternative fence that is safe for cattle and accessible to walkers and wheelchairs.
Another bottleneck is in the Drentsche Aa National Park, near the Balloërveld. There the route goes through Mul Zand for three kilometers. Even with fifteen different wheelchairs that turned out to be hardly impossible. Only an electric model with four -wheel drive could endure the test. For that reason, work is being done on an alternative route on a shell path, so that nature can also be experienced there without getting stuck in the sand.
A completely new route is not required everywhere. Sometimes a simple adjustment is enough, Language explains. A broadened bridge or an adapted fence can ensure that a wheelchair user does not have to turn around. In places where a mountain bike -resistant fence blocks a whole passage, the foundation starts a conversation with municipalities to find a solution. “If there is a fully -fledged diversion with the same nature experience, that’s fine. But if such an obstacle ensures that you have to miss a beautiful piece of nature, we’ll look for a better adjustment.”
In addition to the route itself, according to Moving Beyond Limits, there are more things that require attention. Accessible toilets are by no means self -evident in nature reserves. Also accommodations and catering establishments along the route also often do not appear to visit visitors with a disability.
“We first thought: we show that it is possible,” says Taal. “But gradually you notice that accessibility is a very broad concept. It is about independence that you can plan and implement your own trip.”
Moving Beyond Limits hopes that the Pieterpad will soon be an example for the whole of the Netherlands. In 2026, the first wheelchair -friendly long -distance hiking route in Europe must be officially opened. Language already sees the oil slick expanding: nature organizations in Drenthe have reported to see which all terrain roller chairs they can offer in their visitor centers. “If everyone, with or without disabilities, can walk this path, then our goal is successful.”