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I'm looking for a long distance hiking walk in Europe (but not Germany) of about 5-7 walking days (approx. 15-25 km/day, 100-150 km total length). If round trip or not doesn't matters.

I like small paths in hilly (not too rough) and natural environment up to 1000m altitude. I prefer walking alone lonesome areas comparing to populated regions, but meeting other hikers from time to time is nice.

On the end of every day stage I like to find houses or a small village with hostel, hotel or bed & breakfast accommodations. I like to take the trip in May or June this year and it shouldn't be too warm to walk. Aside of German I speak fluent English and a bit Italian.

My last hike was the West Highland Way in Scotland and it fits perfect to my requests above. Now I'm looking for a similar walk. Maybe someone has a suggestion for a nice location which suits my ideas.

Would be glad ...

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  • could you narrow your search a little? Europe's rather big. Currently you're saying not Germany, but that still leaves >30 countries. Shall we assume Italy for this time, perhaps, giving you an opportunity to practice that as well as go for a walk? – Mark Mayo♦ Mar 13 '12 at 20:46
  • Ok, you're right - there are a lot of countries left ... According to my time plan I think the nothern countries are fitting more to my needs. So Britain, Norway, Sweden, and Finland are nice candidates, but also the Netherlands or why not Iceland? – Ulli Mar 18 '12 at 7:16
  • Mayer be I should add that I prefer to walk through untouched nature instead of farmland and good weather conditions are not so important to me. There is no bad weather - only wrong clothes ;-) – Ulli Mar 18 '12 at 7:23
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From personal experience, I suggest you consider the first half of the UK Coast to Coast hike. From St. Bees to Kirkby Steven, or if you have more time and energy, from St. Bees to Richmond. The first half is more scenic and hilly than the second half.

There is loads of information about this hike on the internet. You can see some of my pictures here.

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  • Your pictures look nice. Did anyone walk the new East Highland Way already? Sounds also nice ... – Ulli Mar 18 '12 at 8:03
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You could consider walking along the Hadrian's Wall. It's 84 miles long, so about 135 km long. I haven't actually done the walk myself, but I imagine that the beginning and end might be a bit densely populated for you liking, but I think you should enjoy the middle bit.

Another idea in the UK would be the South Western Coast Path - the web site offers a few ideas. I did this walk: http://www.southwestcoastpath.com/multi-day-trips/short-breaks/5-7-day-breaks/st-ives-penzance/ and I enjoyed it a lot (it took 4 days). You can extend it in any direction.

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  • Nide idea the south western coast path sound really good. I will check that ... – Ulli Mar 18 '12 at 7:26
  • I did the Hadrian path last April, it was gorgeous. – Ben Straub Mar 19 '12 at 19:56
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Most hikes in Britain can be done in parts, since you are never far from an access point. Consider some part of:

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  • Thanks, these links are all very helpful. But it looks like there are many options on the main british island. What about doing a walk on the Shetland or Orkney Islands? And what about walks in norway, finland and even iceland. Are there any expieriences? – Ulli Mar 18 '12 at 7:36
  • Shetland is less than 100km long, so your only option is to walk from one end to the other. Orkney is even smaller. Travel SE seems to have a bias for the UK - probably a language thing. – DJClayworth Mar 19 '12 at 13:48
  • While Orkney has some walks that show off some amazing countryside (I used to take people to see the cliffs of Hoy or Yesnaby, heather covered hills, Viking burial mounds etc.) the mainland of Orkney is pretty small, and between the interesting sites there isn't much to see. Oh, and it rains a lot :-) – Rory Alsop Feb 17 '13 at 10:09
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Consider El Camino De Santiago (in Spain) as this may be close to the 5-7 day walk you are asking for.

Two sites to look at:

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I am surprised nobody mentions the GR footpaths. These, also known as Grande Randonnée is network of footpaths covering at least the Benelux, France, Spain and Portugal.

Source: Wikipedia (Source: Wikipedia)

Following them is made easy by simple markers such as the one shown above.

A rich source for walking trails is provided by Traildino

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