After the Groningen Marathon: Leeuwarden

The Route: Groningen → Leeuwarden → Groningen Logistics: NS train, about 40 minutes each way, with trains most of the day. Leeuwarden station is about 10 minutes' walk from the centre. Marathon Month: April Duration: Day trip

Groningen ──(about 40 min, NS)──> Leeuwarden
    ^                                  │
    └──────(about 40 min, NS)──────────┘

The Oldehove in Leeuwarden leans by almost two metres. Its builders started it in 1529, noticed the ground was soft clay, and gave up at 40 metres of an intended 120. It has stood in the middle of town ever since, a tall stub with a lean you can see from the platform of the square below. After 42 kilometres in Groningen, it is the right kind of landmark: a thing that did not finish what it set out to, and is admired anyway.

The train from Groningen runs west across flat Frisian pasture. Dutch rail has no advance fares. Tap in and out with a contactless card or OVpay, and check the NS planner for departure times.

April in Leeuwarden: daytime highs are around 11°C to 13°C, with wind off the Wadden coast and showers that arrive and leave quickly. Pack a waterproof layer, and plan indoor stops for the middle of the day. Several museums close on Mondays, so check before you go.

Day Trip: Leeuwarden

The walk from the station into the centre is about 800 metres on level, paved streets. The centre is small, and a loop of 2 to 3 kilometres covers all of it. Benches and canalside cafés are frequent enough to rest every few minutes.

Start at the Oldehove, which sits on a cobbled square close to the Waagplein. Climbing it is possible in season but involves a spiral stair, so skip it if your quads object. From outside it is quicker and easier to appreciate the lean.

The Princessehof Museum of ceramics is a short walk away. It occupies an eighteenth-century city house and holds a large collection of Chinese, Japanese and Dutch tiles and porcelain. Entry costs about €12 and prices vary, so use the figure as a guide only. Rooms on the upper floors are reached by stair, and a lift is available for visitors who need it. Check the current opening days at the museum's website.

The Fries Museum, a few minutes from the station on Wilhelminaplein, covers the history of the province and has a lift and a café. It also holds Mata Hari memorabilia, since she was born in Leeuwarden in 1876. Check opening times, because Monday closures are common.

Lunch is easiest on the pedestrian streets around the Nieuwestad canal, where menus tend to run to sandwiches and Dutch soups. Frisian sugar bread (suikerbrood) is a local speciality available in bakeries and is a calorie-dense recovery snack. Order a cheese plate if you want something savoury.

The canal path along the Prinsentuin is flat and shaded, and gives a quiet second walk if the weather holds. Return to the station for a train back to Groningen, and book nothing in advance, since services run roughly every half hour. Check the last train if you plan to stay for dinner.

Getting back

Return by NS train to Groningen, about 40 minutes. Onward to Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) is about 2 hours 15 minutes with a change, so if you fly on Monday, take the early train from Groningen rather than returning from Leeuwarden late.