World Hikes

See my page 8 of the Best Walking Safaris in the World: Africa, Australia, India and Sri Lanka.

See Wanderlust Magazine's 15 of the World's Epic Walking Trails.

Switzerland

Start in Appenzell to Gasthaus Aescher then to Berggasthaus Schäfler restaurant & hotel. There is also a gondola (31CHF) from Ebenalp that can be used to shorten the trip or use on the return (16km, 1200m). See the article - 8 Best Day Hikes in Switzerland. (Appenzell is about a 1 hr drive east of Zurich, or about 1 hr & 40 min by train.) An alternative (but difficult) hike to Mount Schäfler from Wasserauen station, about 5.7km to 1,100 meters.

Gasthaus Aescher

The Five Lakes Hike from Zermatt, has a great view of the Matterhorn. It is 9.8km at an elevation of 2,130m (7,00ft) and takes about 2.5 hrs each way.

A more arduous Five Lakes Hike is the Pizol which starts in Wangs. It is 11.5km and takes about 4 hours and with elevation change of 553m (1800ft) up and 911m (3000ft) down.  

In the Berner Oberland, the Lake Brienzer hike which starts in the town of Brienz near Interlaken is spectacular. Distance is 11km. There are restaurants on both ends of trail and one mountain restaurant in the middle of the hike. The best time is mid-June to October. The cost for the mountain transport is CHF 87. Discount available with Swiss Travel Pass. Free with the Lucerne Travel Pass and Bernese Oberland Pass. There is a nearby mountain resort Berghaus Schöbüel that could be a possible stay.

To Brienz from Interlaken – 17 minutess.

Start:

Brienzer Rothorn railway – Hauptstrasse 149, Brienz

End:

Turren-Lungern cable car – Wichelstrasse 9, Lungern

By car:

Park at Turren cable car: Wichelstrasse 9, Lungern

By public transport:  

Start at Brienz train station, end at Lungern train station

Brienzer Rothorn Hike map

The Glecksteinhutte - starts from Grindelwald and goes to the Glechsteinhutte. Hike takes about 2 hrs 45 min from Grindelwald bus station, about 3 hrs 30 min from the Oberer Gletscher car park. From the east end of Grindelwald, the trail starts at Hotel Wetterhorn.

Glecksteinhutte map

Ireland

Wanderlust Magazine has a good article on the 7 best walks in Ireland.

• Dingle Way, County Kerry
• The Famine Walk, Connemara
• Croagh Patrick, County Mayo
• Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walking Route
• Wicklow Way, County Wicklow
• Errigal, County Donegal
• Grand Canal Way, Dublin

The two I would like to do are Cliffs of Moher Coastal Walking Route and the Famine Walk in Connemara. There is a train from Dublin that changes at Limerick and continues on to Ennis (or from Galway to Ennis). Take the 350 bus from Ennis to Liscannor, the start of the Cliffs of Moher walk.

More European Hikes

From a member of Rick Steves group, experienced hiker Pat O'Connor. He has hiked all over Europe as guide, travel consultant and advisor for many of Rick Steves' guide books.

General tips:

• Note when using maps like Google maps that you can get a 3D view to provide a better view of the terrain.
• Look out for passes that will save you money.
• Have a paper map of the area in case the electronics fail.

Key Websites and Apps:

• wwww.rei.com
• www.climeradar.com & app
• www.alltrails.com & app - maps for trails. you can download apps to phone
• www.myfitnesspal.com

Recommended Hikes he did in 2023:

• Pulpit Rock, Norway - near Stavanger, a 50 minute flight from Oslo
• Grinda Island, Sweden - a ferry ride from Stockholm
• Fjaðrárgljúfur Gorge, Iceland - 3½ hour drive east of Reykjavik
• Grábrók, Iceland - 1½ hour drive north of Reykjavik
• Croagh Patrick, Ireland - closest town (11 min. drive) with accommodations is Westport
• Inis Mór Island, Ireland - take ferry or plane from Galway (20 min.)
• Hadrian's Wall, England - see Housesteads Roman Fort. Good accommodation in Haltwhistle
• Moselkern - Burg Eltz, Germany - accommodation in Trier, train to Moselkern
• Chamonix, France - alpine, cable left to L'Index & Lac Blanc. Accommodation in Chamonix
• Mannlichen - Kliene Scheidegg, Switzerland
• Gornergrat - Riffelsee, Switzerland - take railway from Zermatt
  
• Montserrat, Spain - accommodation in Barcelona
  
• Alpe di Siusi, Italy - cable car to monastery, hike to peak. Accommodation in Castelrotto
• La Rocca, Sicily, Italy - accommodation in Cefalu by rail from Palermo.
  
• Plitvice National Park, Croatia - accommodation in park, Zagreb is 2 hour drive away.
  
• Samaria Gorge, Crete, Greece - 14km all-day, rugged hike. He did short back & forth hike from shore 5km in then back. Stayed in Palaiochora & took ferry to Agia Roumeli, the start of the trail.
  

Lake District Events

Food & Drink and Events in the Lake District

Pub Food and Gastro Pubs in the Lake District

Walking Equipment

The right equipment is essential for successful and comfortable walk. Here are some notes on clothing, boots and other gear.

Clothing

I have an excellent rain jacket made by The North Face. It is lightweight so it packs easily in luggage and has drawstring closures on the waist, cuffs and hood. Waterproof pants are also a necessity. These are readily available in outdoor stores and are usually nylon with elastic cuffs and waist.

Socks: Many experienced walkers praise merino wool socks as the best. Wool has the property of wicking sweat and keeping warm even when wet.

Boots

There are many brands of high quality walking boots but I chose Keen hiking boots. They are sturdy with excellent tread and, importantly, very comfortable.

Walking Poles

 The recommended height for a walking stick is to the top of your hand when you stand straight and have your elbow at your side and arm bent at 90 degrees. For me that would be 120cm (47¼ in).

I met an experienced walker who was traveling with a collapsible pole. Rather than the popular telescoping poles which typically only shorten to about half of their fully extended length, the collapsible ones are much smaller, breaking down like a white cane for the blind. He used a Gabel brand pole that collapsed to 37cm or 16" when packed. They range in price from €43 to €150, made from aluminum or carbon fiber.

A British walking supply company recommends the Leki brand of poles. Available from Leki Canada.

Leki Micro Vario

Black Diamond make high quality and very light carbon fiber poles that are highly rated, but are quite expensive. Their Black Diamond Carbon Z is US$190.

Black Diamond Carbon Z

See reviews on Switch Back Travel. Though they like Black Diamond they note that one problem with carbon fiber is that it doesn't bend—when it fails, it breaks!

European Walks

A guest on Rick Steves' podcast discussed some of her favourite walks around Europe.

1. King Ludwig's Way in Austria
2. Alsace Way in France
3. Glasgow to Fort William in Scotland
4. Levonto to Monterosa in Italy.

She also recommended the Gaia app which has downloadable maps so you have them when you're offline, as can often happen in the countryside and mountainous regions. There is a basic free version and an advanced version for a monthly prescription fee.

Trails around the Amalfi Coast

Greek Hikes

From a Telegraph article on the highlights of Greece:

Legend has it that no human could climb Mount Olympus, mythical home of the 12 Olympian gods – and it wasn’t until 1913 that a team of Swiss climbers finally managed to reach the 9,570 ft-high peak.

It’s still a challenging climb to reach Mytikas peak, but amateur hikers who’d like to experience a taste of adventure can drive to Prionia (Πριόνια) – the highest location that’s accessible by car – then make the strenuous hike to Skala (Σκάλα), one of the lower peaks, to get a glimpse of the spectacular views that once upon a time only the Gods could enjoy.

Trail Path offers small‑group two-day hiking tours, leaving from Thessaloniki, from £102 per person.

Hike Crete’s Samariá Gorge (Φαράγγι Σαμαριάς)
Stretching for 10 miles from high in the Lefka Ori (Λευκά Όρη, i.e, White Mountains) to the pebbles of Agia Roumeli’s (Αγιά Ρούμελη) peaceful beach far below, Samariá Gorge, Europe’s longest canyon, is just a short drive from the harbour of Crete’s second town, Chania (Χανιά).
But be warned – you’ll need to be fairly fit to tackle the five-hour hike through this spectacular boulder-strewn ravine; an easier alternative is to take a boat from Hora Sfakion (Χώρα Σφακίων) to Agia Roumeli and hike through the bottom end of the gorge. Entrance tickets to Samariá Gorge cost from £3.50.

Skiddaw

Walked to the top of Skiddaw (3053ft), July 4, 2022. A long and ultimately steep walk. Weather started out partly cloudy and clouded over near the top third and rain increased. Rain became heavier and wind increased significantly to almost gale force at the top. Half way up the hill, Keswick can be seen but from the top all was clouded in.

View about half way up

View of Keswick from about 2/3 of the way up

View of Keswick from the top

At the top

Plate on top of plinth

The plate on the plinth shows the various villages, fells and notable points of interest from Skiddaw.

Coast to Coast Walk

One of the other great walks is the Coast to Coast. It goes from St.Bees Head on the west coast to Robin Hood's Bay on the east, a walk of 192 miles (309km).

Alfred Wainwright's guide is popular with many walkers.

Julia Bradbury has a very good video on this walk - see the section on DVDs below. A website dedicated to the C-t-C can be found here.

 

Here is a selection from the guide showing the route and the elevations along the way.

Other Walks

Britain is a land of walkers. So besides fell walking there are many interior and coastal walks to be had. Here are a few:

The Coast to Coast - from St.Bees Head on the west coast to Robin Hood's Bay on the east, and is 192 miles long.

The Pennine Way - from Edale in Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm, Scotland and is 268 miles long. See the official website here.

Pembrokeshire Coastal Path - though continuous it is usually divided into 3 separate walks. The north from St. David to St Dogmaels (62 miles), the western from Milford Haven to St. Davids (58 miles), and the southern from Amford to Milford Haven (66 miles).

The Ridgeway - West of London, runs from Overton Hill to Ivinghoe Beacon, and is 87 miles long.

Besides his guides to the Lake District, Alfred Wainwright wrote guides to the Coast to Coast and the Pennine Way. A website dedicated to his guides can be found here.

The Walking Englishman is a good reference site for various walks. RamblingMan has information on many walks throughout the UK.

Wanderlust Magazine has a good article on The 7 Best Coastal Walks in Scotland.

Ravenglass and Eskdale Steam Railway

The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria is a narrow gauge steam railway, running 7 miles from Ravenglass to Dalegarth. See the official website.

ADDRESS
Railway Station, Ravenglass CA18 1SW, UK
Phone: +44 1229 717171
( Ravenglass, 1hr 41min from Carlisle)

Route map

The only rail access to Ravenglass is from the north on the Northern Railway.

Carlisle to Ravenglass

Other Walks in Britain

Snowdonia
Stay Snowdonia

The village of Llanberis is the closest to Snowdon. (Nearest station - Bangor)

Groeslon Ty Mawr B&B, Route A4244, Llanddeiniolen, Caernarfon LL55 3AW Wales. Ph. +44 (0)1248 352791

Groeslon Ty Mawr B&B

Pant Teg B&B, Tregarth, Bangor LL57 4AU Wales Ph. +44 (0)1248 602248

Pant Teg B&B

Caer Menai Guest House B&B, 15 Church Street, Caernarfon LL55 1SW Wales Ph. +44 (0)1286 672612

Caer Menai Guest House B&B

The accommodations below are on the other side of Snowdon from Llanddeiniolen and Caernarfon and are not as accessible without some roadway transport. The above accommodations have shorter road access (except, of course, for Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel below which is the closest accommodation to Snowdon).

Ty Gwyn Coaching Inn, A5 Road, Snowdonia National Park, Betws-y-Coed LL24 0SG Wales. Ph. +44 (0)1690 710383 (£86) Well reviewed on TripAdvisor. ( Betws-y-Coed) map

Ty Gwyn Coaching Inn

Y Pengwern, Church Square, Llan Ffestiniog LL41 4PB. +44 (0)1766 762200. Relaxed inn with free breakfast, a cosy lounge bar & event space, plus casual rooms. (Note: closed until 2025) 3-star hotel ( Bangor) map

Y Pengwern

Gwesty Seren Hotel, Bryn Llewelyn, Llan Ffestiniog LL41 4NS +44 (0)1766 513133 (£100 off peak, £140 peak) 3-star hotel ( Betws-y-Coed) map

Gwesty Seren Hotel

THE hotel which is closest to Snowdon is Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel in Nant Gwynant, Gwynedd, North Wales, LL55 4NT. +44 (0)1286 870211. Telephone bookings only! Quaint, eccentric cottage inn. "After a day spent walking in Snowdonia, come home to a sauna in the garden followed by a dip in the natural pool, then a hearty dinner announced by a gong and a night in one of the plain, spotless bedrooms, with no frills except fluffy towels, monogrammed linen and a decent bar of Imperial Leather soap." £112B&B, £128B&B plus ensuite, for 2024. (They also have a two bedroom cottage.) ( Bangor) map

Pen-y-Gwryd

Ben Nevis
All serviced by Fort William's rail station ( Fort William)
Google - Ben Nevis accommodations

B&Bs
The Brevins Guest House, Glen Nevis, Fort William PH33 6PF. Ph. +44 (0)1397 701412

The Bevins Guest House

Tigh na Drochaid, Nevis Bridge, Glen Nevis, Fort William PH33 6PF. +44 (0)1397 704177

Tigh na Drochaid

MacIntosh house, 9 Claggan Road, Telford Pl, Fort William PH33 6QG. +44 (0)7867 782551

Ben Nevis Guest House, Nevis Bridge, Glen Nevis, Fort William PH33 6PF. +44 (0)1397 708817

Ben Nevis Guest House

St Anthony's Bed and Breakfast, Argyll Rd, Fort William PH33 6LF. +44 (0)1397 705184 (£65 2019). 3-star

St. Anthony's Bed and Breakfast

Hostel
Fort William Backpackers, Charlecote, Alma Rd, Fort William PH33 6HB. +44 (0)1397 700711 ($55CDN 2019).

Hotels
Travel Lodge, Fort William (£85 2019). 3-star.

Lake District Accommodations

Keswick ( Penrith, X5 bus to Keswick)

AirBnB - Keswick

I stayed at Lindisfarne House, 21 Church Street, Keswick. Alison and claire were excellent hosts and very reasonable price - book directly with them and request a single room.

Allerdale House, 1 Eskin St., Keswick. Ph. +44 (0)1768 77389
Avondale Guest House 20 Southey St., Keswick. Ph. +44 (0)17687 72735
Portland House, 19 Leonard St., Keswick. Ph. +44 (0)17687 74230
Sevenoaks Guest House, 7 Acorn St., Keswick. Ph. +44 (0)17687 72088

Here are a few B&Bs I found walking around Keswick:
Melbreak House, 29 Church Street
Avondale Guest House, 20 Southey Street
Lyndhurst Guest House, 22 Southey Street
The Edwardene, 26 Southey Street
Goodwin House, 29 Southey Street
The Portland House, 19 Leonard Street
Harvington House, 19 Church Street
Number 10 Bed & Breakfast, 10 Southey Street
Bluestones Guest House, 7 Southey Street
Keswick Park Hotel & Restaurant, 33 Station Road
Inn on the Square, Market Square*
Skiddaw Hotel, 31 Main Street*

* - Advertised last minute booking

Longer term "self-catering" rentals:
Lakes Cottage Holidays
Cambrian Cottages

Newby Bridge Hotel, Windermere

Travelodge Kendal, Kendal

Scafell Pike

The Wasdale Head Inn, £65 for single. Closest walk to the Pike. 019467 26229 or reception@wasdale.com.

Restaurants & Pubs

The New Union pub in Kendal was awarded the "Best Cider and Perry Pub" in Britain in 2019 by the Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA). (See my post on the organization.)

From their website: "The 2019 Cider Pub of the Year award went to the New Union pub in Kendal for its wide array of real ciders and perries.
Nestled on the fringe of the Lake District, this ‘no-nonsense’ pub is a popular community hub hosting a weekly quiz, fortnightly music nights, carol singing, live music and whisky tastings." 

The New Union also won the West Pennines region (CAMRA) Cider Pub of the Year in 2020.

The New Union, 159 Stricklandgate, Kendal LA9 4RF ( Kendal)

Fell walking DVDs

The videos that started my interest in fell walking in the Lake District, and has probably increased general interest, are the series of DVDs by Julia Bradbury produced in 2007 and 2008. These presented a selection of 10 walks taken from Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guides of the Lake District. They are high quality BBC productions which include aerial shots to give an overview of the walks. Julia Bradbury's enthusiasm for Wainwright and the fells is infectious.
She also did a program of the Coast to Coast in 2009 which is equally enjoyable. (For walks elsewhere in Britain she has a series on Canal Walks and one on Railway Walks - i.e., abandoned railway routes.)
And one of the most experienced Lakeland walkers, David Powell-Thompson, is featured in a number of DVDs on various fells. The DVDs available are, Lakeland Walks with David Powell-Thompson: Castle Crag, Helvellyn, Scafell and High Street; The Lake District, Great Langdale with David Powell-Thompson and The Lake District, Upper Eskdale with David Powell-Thompson.

Some of the videos noted above are available from the Acorn TV streaming service.

Some recommended DVDs I have yet to see are:
Wainwright's Lakeland & England's North Country by Alfred Wainwright and Eric Robson
Wainwright's Coast to Coast by Alfred Wainwright and Eric Robson
Wainwright's Highlands and Islands of Scotland by Alfred Wainwright and Eric Robson
Life of a Mountain: Scafell Pike, Life of a Mountain: Blencathra and The Lake District - Helvellyn with Mark Richards by Terry Abraham
(All of the above DVDs are available from AmazonUK).

Fell walking books and guides

The premier fell walking books for the Lake District are, of course, Alfred Wainwright's Pictorial Guides, published by Frances Lincoln Press. I have the boxed set of the Lakeland fells including the outlying fells, 2nd edition updated by Chris Jesty.
Wainwright also wrote guides for the Coast to Coast walk, the Pennine Way, and Scotland, as well as walks in Limestone country in Yorkshire. Most of these are now available in the updated 3rd edition by Clive Hutchby, reflecting changes in paths and landmarks throughout the walks. There are many other Wainwright books available including notebooks and memoirs.
Another handy guide for the Coast to Coast walker is the Bed and Breakfast Accommodation Guide by Doreen Whitehead (known popularly as the Queen of the Coast to Coast Walk), now in its 15th edition.
Another necessity for the fell walker is the OS (Ordnance Survey) maps which provide the needed detail and scope not available in Wainwright's guides. OS maps OL4, OL5, OL6 & OL7 cover the Lake District walks in Wainwright's guides.

Castle Crag

Climbed up to Castle Crag after taking bus from Keswick to Grange.


On the road to Rosthwaite

Bus Routes to the Walks

To and From Keswick

I found the Stagecoach bus routes to get around the lake district near Keswick. First to get from the nearest train station at Penrith take the x4x5 bus from Penrith to Keswick.
Now to get to the various walks' starting points.
For Haystacks, take Route 77 from Keswick to Honister Slate Mine or Buttermere.
For Castle Crag, take Route 78 from Keswick to Grange for the northerly approach or on to Rosthwaite for the southerly.
For Helvellyn, take the 555 to Wythburn for the south-westerly approach. For the easterly approach, take the x4x5 from Keswick back to Penrith then the 108 south to Patterdale.
For Scafell Pike take take Route 78 from Keswick to Seatoller for the north approach; it can also be approached from the west at Wasdale, from the south at Eskdale Mill near Boot, or from the east at Dungeon Ghyll.
For Blencathra, take the x4x5 to Threlkeld or Scales depending of the approach.

Download the latest summer schedule here.

LAKE DISTRICT PUBLIC TRAVEL INFORMATION

The Visit Lake District website has information on "Going Car Free" in the Lake District to take advantage of the public transport available. Particularly noted are Stagecoach coaches and Avanti West Coast railway. Download the Stagecoach app for iPhone or Android for up-to-date scheduling.

Stagecoach

Bus #

Stops

508

Penrith • Aira Force • Glenridding • Patterdale

6

Barrow • Dalton • Ulverston • Newby Bridge • Bowness-on-Windermere • Windermere 

555

Lancaster • Kendal • Windermere • Ambleside • Grasmere • Keswick

599

Kendal • Windermere • Bowness • Ambleside • Grasmere

Avanti West Coast

Leaving

Journey to:

London Euston

Oxenholme (3h 00m), Penrith (3h 23m), Carlisle (3h 40m) 

Birmingham

Oxenholme (2h 03m), Penrith (2h 39m), Carlisle (2h 54m)

Glasgow

Oxenholme (1h 49m), Penrith (1h 28m), Carlisle (1h 13m)

Stagecoach app

Seatoller - Keswick