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Route: Walk of Wisdom (Netherlands)

Submitted by Arne on Sun, 05/19/2024 - 07:55am
Location
Netherlands
Distance
136 km
Vertical Gain
702 m
Description

The Walk of Wisdom is a marked trail around the city of Nijmegen, crossing the Dutch-German border. It is a modern non-religious pelgrimage route. It consists mostly of trails, stringing together natural areas, like the floodplains of the Ooij and Beuningen, the hilly wooded areas of Berg en Dal and the Reichswald, heath areas of Mookerhei, and the fens of Hatertse & Overasseltse Vennen. A very diverse route, often walked in the stages, where the modern pelgrims collect a 'pigeon ring' for every finished stage.

The route was updated recently to be 9 km longer than originally so there is a new longer variation.

https://walkofwisdom.org/en/

GPS Track
Walk of Wisdom route (1).gpx445.01 KB
Walk of Wisdom route 2026.gpx372.89 KB

FKTs

Comments

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eberends
Tue, 07/02/2024 - 01:08am

I ran the Walk of Wisdom in 2021. It's a beautiful course that provides a good view of the nature this area has to offer. Be aware that the course has a bit more vertical gain than is indicated. My Garmin indicated roughly 1,200D+, of which 1,000D+ in the first half. Might be something to take into account on your attempt.

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Eef Lamers
Sun, 06/14/2026 - 01:35pm

Saturday 20th of June I will attempt the Walk of Wisdom supported FKT. The course has changed since 2023. It now has a length of 147 km instead of 136 km (https://walkofwisdom.org/pelgrimsroute/de-walk-of-wisdom-pelgrimsroute-…). So I am in doubt which route to take. Any thoughts?

I think of doing the new 147 km route and try to make it in time to set the new FKT with the new route. 

Update on my attempt. Unfortunately, I had to stop at 70 km. On June 20th, it was 30 degrees Celsius during the day and the sun was shining brightly. Not ideal weather for an attempt, but I wanted to give it a go.

I started at 5:15 under great conditions, around 20 degrees as the sun was coming up with a nice breeze. There were some thunderstorms in the distance, but far enough away not to worry about. After 37 km I was only 5 minutes behind schedule for a total time of 15:33. Two friends joined me for this section and the heat was already building. We missed a water point at 47 km and had to improvise to get some extra water, but we were still right on schedule. During this stretch we had to push through sunny, exposed sections and up some hills. That's when the heat really started taking its toll. Eating became more difficult and I struggled to keep up the pace, which cost us some time. At 62 km my girlfriend was standing ready with ice and fresh water, which was a huge boost, but I knew I still had a long way to go in the heat.

I set off again feeling a bit better, but unsure whether I'd be able to finish in time. I was 20 minutes behind schedule and could really feel the heat draining the energy out of me. After an hour, all the ice and most of my water were gone, with still 12 km to go before the next water station. I thought about it for a while and decided to call it a day.

I'll definitely try again in cooler conditions!