E11 hiking trail

Understand

E11 originated in 1980 from a string of short German paths as an international trail between the sister cities of Haarlem in the Netherlands and Osnabrück in Germany and was immediately extended to the Harz mountains. After the fall of the Iron Curtain, E11 became one of many means to stimulate the integration of Western and formerly Eastern, now Central Europe. This is why it was prolonged in the 1990s to Berlin and then into Poland. As the congestion around Amsterdam made it impossible to keep up a pleasant routing from Haarlem, the start was moved to Scheveningen. At the regional international level, Euregio began to exploit the stretch between Deventer in the Netherlands and Osnabrück in Germany in a commercial way, hoping to underpin its efforts to bring the populations on both sides of the international border closer together. Ethnic and historical differences are noticeable along the track. The openness of the landscape of Western Netherlands (Holland), the rich agriculture more to the East, the landmarks of large Prussian estates and their endless fields, maintained or revived during the GDR, and the scars that centuries of German-Polish conflict and German and Soviet suppression drew - they are all visible along E11. This is corroborated by the fact that the Polish part of E11 is mostly in territories that were German until 1918 or even 1945. To enjoy your march along E11 more, you may read the encyclopaedic article about E11 European long-distance path in Wikipedia, where you'll also find hundreds of links to the townships along E11.

Prepare

The E11 requires standard long-distance hiking preparation. Ensure you are in peak physical condition and invest in high-quality equipment, specifically professional-grade walking boots and a durable backpack. Acquire all necessary maps well in advance, as sourcing them from various publishers can take several weeks or months. While English is common in the Netherlands and Western Germany, carry basic German and Polish phrasebooks for eastern sections; learning local pronunciation is essential for effective communication.

Eat You must carry enough food to sustain yourself between stops. While major towns offer ample supplies, you should be prepared to be self-sufficient on the trail between them. In more remote stretches, especially as you move east, planning for your own meals is necessary.

Drink Reliable access to water is critical. You should carry sufficient water to last between trail points. In areas where restaurants and cafés are infrequent, ensure you have enough capacity to stay hydrated throughout the day's march.

Sleep Accommodation density varies by region. While cities like The Hague and Hannover have many options, distances between indoor beds in parts of Poland can reach up to 35 km. If you cannot maintain that daily mileage, you must carry a tent and a sleeping bag. A lightweight tent is recommended for flexibility, and a sleeping bag is essential if you plan to camp or if budget accommodations are unheated.

Climate The itinerary is usable year-round, but you must be prepared for rain at any time. In winter, be ready for snow. It is highly recommended to wear fast-drying synthetic clothing, which is easier to wash and dry during the trip. Have clothing that provide adequate protection against the elements.

Get in

The start of E11 in Scheveningen is easily reached from all corners of the world: fly to Schiphol, the airport of Amsterdam, take one of the very frequent trains to "Den Haag CS", one of the railway stations of The Hague, and tramway 9 will bring you to the Kurhaus at the square of "Gevers Deynootplein". It is also possible to take an international train from Belgium or France to Rotterdam and change trains there for Den Haag CS. International trains from Germany offer a connection to Den Haag CS with a change of trains in Utrecht or Amersfoort. Coming from England, one would normally arrive by fast ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland and then follow the white-red marked European Coast Path E9 to Scheveningen.

Ramblers starting from the UK and Ireland who want to reach the start of E11 on foot can reach Harwich along the Essex Way, from where they could take the ferry to Hook of Holland and then follow E9 as mentioned above. It is also possible to reach Scheveningen by the same E9 from the south of England, north-western France and the Belgian coast. One more possibility to reach the Hook of Holland on foot is by E2 (also known as GR 5) from Nice, the east of France and almost all of Belgium. By the way, the Gevers Deynootplein in front of the Kurhaus is not the kind of place where you park your car whilst rambling the 2,500 km of E11. Even if you manage to find a free parking space, you will have to pay several euros an hour.

Walk

With the exception of the article you are now reading, the precise routing of E11 is not at all documented in the English language. If you are fluent enough in Dutch and German, you will reach the Harz mountains without problems, but in Eastern Germany and Poland even detailed sources in the local languages (German and Polish) are hard to find. For this article we obtained and translated a German out-of-print book, and flyers and other documents from offices of rambling organizations in Kassel, Prague, Poznan, Torun and Olsztyn, as well as locally sold topographic maps. Some sections are marked in a locally meaningful way; others are not.

E11 in the Netherlands In The Netherlands, E11 is identical to the Marskramerpad (Peddlers Way), which links Scheveningen over 368 kilometers to the German township of Bad Bentheim. The last 13 km are on German territory, which leaves 355 km for the Dutch territory. Like most Dutch long distance trails, the Marskramerpad is managed by Wandelnet where Wandelnet: "Marskramerpad", ed. by Wandelnet, Amersfoort, 2009, ISBN 9789071068782, a guide in Dutch with very useful detailed maps can be bought. This booklet must be used in the reverse order, i.e. the map showing Scheveningen is the last map in the guide. This may explain why the cover text of the guide erroneously states that the Dutch part of E11 begins in the German town of Bad Bentheim. Dutch hiking trails, including the Marskramerpad, are usually perfectly marked. However, trails are often changed, sometimes in a major way, and these changes are only described in Dutch. In December 2012, 55 changes were mentioned. Not all changes are small. One of them (between Achterveld and Terschuur) amounts to an extra 8 km (5 mi), on top of the 360 km mentioned on the cover of the guide. This is why 4 maps in the booklet ("kaart 42", 42A, 43 and 44) have been modified completely. It is therefore advisable to order the guide and also check the markings of the Marskramerpad in the field for recent changes. Just on the main heading of the page you find four bottoms, of which the second from left produces a very detailed map of the most recent routing of the trail (use the zoom function

Stay safe

The biggest danger along E11 is hardly visible: the tick. The danger is not so much in this tiny animal itself, although its bite might occasionally cause an infection. The danger is in the pathogens it may carry. Along the whole track, ticks are known to be infected (sometimes up to high percentages) with the bacteria causing Lyme disease (borreliosis). East of the Harz mountains they may also cause the virus causing tick-borne meningoencephalitis (TBE). You should probably get vaccinations against tick-borne meningo-encephalitis before you venture into the Harz area or further east. There is no prophylaxis against Lyme disease, but it can be cured with antibiotics if caught early. Check the advice in Pests#Ticks. Although you may have the occasional encounter with an adder, a boar, a pack of wolves or even a lynx, the path is mostly perfectly safe. Just don't get a bite from any rabies-infected mammal, or get treatment with no delay. The path may even be followed in winter, provided one is ade