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)