Elfsteden pad

As Dutch As It Gets: hiking a historic skating route

As Dutch As It Gets: hiking a historic skating route

The Elfstedentocht (Eleven cities tour) is a historic long-distance tour skating event, almost 200 kilometres (120 mi) long, which is held both as a speed skating competition and a leisure tour in the province of Friesland in the north of the Netherlands. As a child, I remember that skating tour being legendary, almost mystical. Now, you can also hike that legendary route through a typical Dutch landscape.