Tillefonne

The Tillefonne is a church path leading to the Grote or Sint-Gertrudiskerk of Workum. The path was already called Tillefonne in 1560. The name combines two words: tille and fonne. In Frisian, these mean “small bridge” and “pasture for calves.” The path runs from the old Zuiderzee dike northwest of Workum, across meadows and eight small bridges, into Workum. It ends at a side alley — the Tillefonnestege — off the Noard, near the Merk and the Sint-Gertrudiskerk.

Wandelnet volunteer Paul van Dommelen walks with the Zuiderzeepad guidebook in hand. A challenging 490 km hike around the former Zuiderzee. Through a series of blogs, he shares his experiences. Below is his blog about the Tillefonne in Workum.

Before starting our walk to Makkum, we have coffee at Workum’s market square. We check how to leave the town, but we don’t immediately spot the path next to house number 25 — it’s only three paving stones wide. We are now on the Tillefonne (km 392). After about 100 meters, we cross the first bridge and suddenly find ourselves in the meadows. It’s remarkable how quickly you leave the center behind. We learn that “Tille” is Frisian for a narrow (high) bridge with railings, and “Fonne” is an old Frisian word for calf pasture.

The path runs from Workum’s market through the meadows via 8 bridges to the old Zuiderzee dike. It was used by locals heading to church or the market. I can imagine townspeople also used it for quick access to the Zuiderzee. Old maps even show a kind of harbor there.

The cadastre has digitized all topographic maps since 1815, making it easy to trace the Tillefonne. From 1850 onwards, the path appears on maps. In 1904, it’s labeled “Telegraaf.” By 1932, that name disappears, and by 2005, the name “Tillefonne” reappears for the first time.

Through the meadows, the path is only one paving stone wide. Crossing the little bridges, we move from field to field and reach the Zuiderzee dike far too soon for our liking.