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In the final two weeks of December 2024, one of the bastards of the Frisian Coast Trail  solo hiked the coastal section of the Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia. Naturally, it had to be the coast. This section runs between the towns of Albany and Walpole, with only a brief brush with civilization halfway through, at the town of Denmark. The trail is marked by the Waugal—see featured image—a symbol of the Indigenous First Nations peoples of Australia, representing the guard

April 2024. One of the bastards  of the Frisia Coast Trail hiked a stretch of the Lycian Way— Likya Yolu  in Turkish. This coastal track spans over 700 kilometers along Turkey’s southern shore, often tracing ancient paths once used by the Greeks and Romans. Lycia is the historical name for the Teke Peninsula, a region still largely untouched by the hotel chains and resorts found further east around Antalya. Instead, this coastline is peppered with forests, pastures, rural vil

When thru-hiking, special encounters are part of the experience. One such encounter happened when one of the Frisian bastards  completed the GR20 on the island of Corsica in the months of September and October 2018. It is a story that teaches you always to keep an open mind towards every person you meet and not to be distracted by personalities that behave differently from the social norm. Actually, they might turn out to be your possible lifesaver. Especially when hiking the

Boxing Day 2022. The Frisian bastard  woke up in the small village of Aljezur in the southwest of Portugal. It was day ten of his hike along the Rota Vicentina, with three more days ahead. Like the Frisia Coast Trail, the Rota Vicentina follows the shoreline. A path shaped by wind, cliffs, and the constant murmur of the Atlantic. Today would be an easy stage: just fifteen kilometers to the coastal town of Arrifana. He had spent the night in Hotel Vicentina, named after the tr

In the final two weeks of 2021, one of the Frisian bastards  hiked most of the Andalusian Coast to Coast Walk in Spain—a route stretching from Nerja to Bolonia, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. As hikers of the Frisia Coast Trail, any long-distance coast-to-coast path holds natural appeal. And hiking through the Andalusian countryside offers a chance to taste some of the spirit of the andaluces , the Andalusians. A spirit that, notably, comes without vegetabl

This blog post is not about Aindreas Ó Céirín (1840-1915), better known as Brother Walfrid from Ireland and who founded the Scottish...

May 2017. One of the Frisian bastards  set out to hike the Cape Wrath Trail in Scotland—a roughly 300-kilometer trek through the remote upper north-western Highlands. The journey began at the settlement of Inbhir Garadh  (Invergarry) and stretched all the way to the isolated lighthouse on the cliffs of Cape Wrath, and its tiny café, The Ozone. One might call it the End of the Universe. The fourth day of the hike was both hell and heaven: a day of miscalculations, wrong turns,

Hiking demands careful preparation, especially when it comes to personal safety. What is in your First Aid Kit? Do you have basic first...

On the first of February 2020, one of the Frisian bastards  of the Frisia Coast Trail tramped the trail section from the town of Bad Nieuweschans to the small village of Termunten. It is a hike of thirty kilometers along the southern shores of the Dollart Bight. The day before, in the evening, the bastard arrived at a bed & breakfast called Kanonnier , meaning 'gunner' or 'bombardier'. The conversation with the owner brought the bastard from Bad Nieuweschans, to the city of B

‘The path will provide,’ is a familiar saying among hikers while on the trail. The flip side of this attitude is you might not have the keenness to recognize an exceptional opportunity. Your mind gets lazy. It is exactly what happened to one of the Frisian bastards during his solo hike through the harsh mountains of Corsica. Thru-hiking the GR20 across the mountains of Corsica is demanding—not only on body and mind, but on equipment as well. Like any long-distance hiker, the

For those outdoor enthusiasts who consider hiking the mudflats of the Wadden Sea, it is essential to know that this is not just a worldly journey but a spiritual one. The entire Frisia Coast is, in a way, a spiritual belt, protecting the southern coast of the North Sea against northern darkness, according to early medieval sources. In October 1143, the bishop of Utrecht, Hartbert of Bierum—originating from Bierumen , a medieval ribbon settlement on the coast near the villages

July 1987. The two Frisian bastards , both being sixteen years old at the time, went to the village of Wijnaldum – Winaem  in the Mid-Frisian language. Reason to go was twofold. Firstly, the yearly street kaatsen  tournament was taking place that day. Secondly, one of their most beautiful classmates, Gerda, lived close to Wijnaldum. The yearly village games were an unsuspected excuse to see her. Barely had the bastards arrived at the tournament, or they were ordered to leave

Late in the afternoon, December 28, 2018. One of the Frisian bastards  arrives in the village of Anjum after a 30-kilometer hike along the coast, starting from Holwerd. It had been exactly 21 years since this quiet village was rocked by national news: the discovery of two male corpses buried in the garden of guesthouse Het Station. The killer? A woman—the guesthouse owner herself. Just to be safe, the bastard had booked a room at a different place: Hotel Wad Oars. But this ho

Last year (2019), one of the Frisian bastards hiked the Pembrokeshire Coast Path in southwestern Wales ( Cymru ), a 290-kilometre-long...

Who has not dined at least once in an '80s Chinese restaurant that carried the name 万里长城  ('Great Wall of China')? Certainly, you have been at least once at one of these restaurants for take-away, with the white plastic boxes wrapped in paper sheets, with prawn crackers and a small cup of sambal sauce ('chili paste'). Oh yes, you have! Part of the interior is, of course, an aquarium with big orange and white goldfish, and a relief painting of the magnificent wall, gliding lik

This blog is a virtual hike. Grab a coffee and go 200 kilometers per hour. When ploughing through piles of research on where the Frisians roamed, we stumbled upon interesting Frisian place names. A few weeks ago we, the two Frisian bastards, took another hike. We walked a track of 31 km along the river Vecht . In the early medieval times this river was the most important water highway between Dorestad and Scandinavia. In this period mostly Vikings and Frisian traders roamed

September 2018, one of the bastards hiked the Grande Randonnée 20 in Corsica. Or, as the French say, la GR-vingt . The GR20 is considered Europe’s toughest long-distance trail. And one of the most dangerous, as it turned out. The bastard wanted to experience the similarities of hiking trails that cover territories of Europe’s autochthonous minorities. In this case, comparing the GR20 on Corsica territory with that of the Frisia Coast Trail. And, like hiking the FCT, the GR20

This blog post is not about the Westfrisian writer Hendrik Jan Marsman (1937–2012), better known by his pen name Bernlef . Nor is it...

Ever heart of Aldgisl ? Even if you did, you probably have a hard time separating fact from fiction. For a fact it is the first king of the Dutch lowlands known to have lived. But is Redbad his real son? Follow us in our deep dive into ancient historical sources. Recently King Redbad became a hot topic. In the summer of 2018 a movie about this Frisian king will hit the silver screen in the Dutch cinemas. Redbad is the direct successor of Aldgisl. He repeatedly ended up figh

Besides Nancy Sinatra’s 1966 recommendation in her  song ; what kind of boots would we recommend to hike the Frisia Coast Trail? The combination of a flat and often hard surface will have its toll when walkin' the trail. In this blog post we discuss what kind of footwear is (not) suitable. It is important to realize that the only ascents and descents of more than two meters that you are going to encounter during the 1,000 miles of the Frisia Coast Trail are manmade. It might