Bushwalk Australia

Hi folks,

it looks like work might be taking me to Edinburgh in May, and after a conversation with a friend about his walking of the Camino, i've decided to start looking into walks across europe.
i've been picking through this thread: viewtopic.php?f=32&t=22436&p=293276&hilit=scotland#p293276 but just wanted to know what everyone's experiences with great walks in Europe are.

time isn't a massive difficulty as i work casually, but obviously something like the Camino would knock me out of work for a month or so, which makes it an expensive trip.
ideally i'd love to do something that takes 9-20 days. happy to camp, but it'd be nice to have some resupply stops so i don't have to take 2 weeks worth of food. happy to leave Scotland for something awesome - but also happy to stay there (have been trawling through http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/ but still overwhelmed for choice)

i'm 31, in reasonable fitness. want something a little more interesting than flat walking but don't want to have to take crampons and an ice axe...

anyone got a good suggestion?

i do like the history of the Camino, so anything you've got on the background of the walk would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Fatty

I did the Camino 3 years back in 21 days. You don't have to start in St Jean pied de port if your stuck for time. Can start almost anywhere along it. Leon is about halfway. You'll see plenty of it still. To officially get the certificate only have to walk the last 100kms.

Another option that lots of European people do is do it in stages. Say st Jean to Leon one year then finish her a few later.

Have you considered the g20? In Corsica. I havnt done it but it looks pretty good.

There's also the kungsleden in Norway. It's a long one but I'm sure you can do half of it and get a good appreciation.

Fatoxious wrote:... ideally i'd love to do something that takes 9-20 days. happy to camp, but it'd be nice to have some resupply stops so i don't have to take 2 weeks worth of food. happy to leave Scotland for something awesome - but also happy to stay there (have been trawling through http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/ but still overwhelmed for choice) ...

I posted about Scotland on the thread you've referred to.

May is generally a good time to be walking in Scotland, but there are no obvious or well-known trips of the duration you've mentioned. (Of course, you could make up your own route of that length, if you wanted to. But, if you've not been walking in the country before, the possibilities will be confusing.)

If you want a single long walk, any of the GR routes across the rest of Europe might fit the bill better. You might consider, for example, a section of either the GR10 or GR11 along the Pyrenees.

The Spanish Sierra Nevada Nat. park near Granada would be super in May but there would still be snow up above 2500 M.

You could consider something like the Cape Wrath Trail in Scotland -- in my opinion the best walk in the UK. May is the best month for walking in Scotland - low rainfall and no midges. All the higher areas of continental Europe are still in the grip of snow in May.

Yeah forget about anything in the Alps, too much snow. The G20 may be ok in May as it's warmer than in the Alps, but I wouldn't bet on it... El Camino is to me too much of paved roads or large walking paths. You could do a nice coastal walk in Brittany, the GR34. But it's 1600 km so you'd have to pick sections to do. The Northern coast is beautiful. But still, I think Mark's suggestion is best. Stick to the UK, plenty of nice long walks in Scotland. Ireland must have nice coastal options too. And both are not very expensive if one night you decide to escape the wind and rain for a nice hotel.

I am looking at the GR20 in April or May - I hear it is a real challenge! If your interested let me know