If you’re anything like us, it takes a bit of time to switch off from work and the busy-ness of modern life. That’s why a multi-day hike is so appealing. Not only does it feel a bit more adventurous and take a little more forethought and planning, it also means you have to be prepared to go off-grid for a few days. To whet your appetite, here are 5 of the most iconic multi-day hikes in Europe that deserve to be added to your bucket list.
Tour du Mont Blanc
This is one of those walks you simply have to tick off. It’s a toughie, with plenty of uphill each day, but the scenery is simply breath-taking. Our marketing manager Claire did this with her young family before the pandemic.
“We were a bit worried about our kids who were 12 and 14 at the time wouldn’t enjoy it. But it turned out to be one of our best family holidays. Looking back, I think this was because it was so simple. All we had to do each day was get up, walk and eat.”
Claire’s family loved the mountain huts, the wildlife, the spectacular views and the chance to talk to people from all over the world. She can’t think of a downside, other than the fact that she had to come home.
https://tourdumontblanchike.com/
West Highland Way, Scotland
If you want to stay closer to home, this is a gem. The first few miles are a little tedious but then the route opens up into some of the most beautiful scenery where you feel close to nature. One of our friends did this route last year, wild camping all the way with his dog. He said: “What I liked about this route is how remote it felt. I loved wild camping near the various small lochs and waking up to views of mountains and sky.”
Just make sure you check out the midge count before you go! https://www.smidgeup.com/midge-forecast/
Camino de Santiago, Spain
If you’re looking for a trip with guaranteed sunshine, this could be it. We’ve never done it but it’s definitely ‘an itch we’ve got to scratch’ one day. The Camino, also known as the Way of St James, will give you a taste of Spanish culture and the beauty of the landscape. The most popular route, the Camino Frances, stretches over 780km from the French border to Santiago de Compostela.
Alta Via 1, Italy
The Italian Dolomites, a north-south hiking route with spectacular scenery takes around 10 days to cover 74 miles. The fun is in the use of the via ferrata, the steel climbing fixtures, for which you’ll need a head for heights. This trip is a great opportunity to stay in some remote mountain huts.
https://www.alpineexploratory.com/walking-guides/alta-via-1.html
The Haute Route
A great challenge for experienced hikers, this trek stretches some 180km from Chamonix in France to Zermatt in Switzerland. You’ll experience mountain passes, glaciers and see the famous Matterhorn. This is one of the most famous routes, so it’s unlikely you’ll be alone, but if you’re anything like us, meeting new people is all part of the fun of adventure travel.
https://www.alpineexploratory.com/walking-guides/walkers-haute-route.html
Planning a multi-day trip with Xpedition2?
It’s easy. Xpedition2 has been built for multi-day trips.
Xpedition2 allows you to display multiple routes on the map at the same time.
Each route can represent a single day, or even a single segment if you’re planning half-day activities for example.
The selected route is displayed in full colour with all its additional features (waypoint markers, landmarks, out-of-bounds areas, refreshment stops etc) and all the other unselected routes are semi-transparent and are shown in a simplified form, so you can still see where they are, but they’re not getting in the way of your current planning activity.
