Although Ireland offers spectacular hikes, from the Burren in Co Clare to Slieve League in Donegal, after two years in lockdown it’s time to stretch the legs and discover new horizons.
From Portugal in the south to Norway in the north, our European neighbours offer some spectacular opportunities to put all that fitness and all those promises we stored up over the last couple of years to the test.
Here we look at five of the best hikes to suit a range of fitness levels and experience – with a variety of landscapes from jagged clifftops to sandy beaches.
1. Best for a #Selfie
Where: The Trolltunga Hike Vestland, Norway
What: Jutting out from a mountainside 700m over the crystal clear waters of Lake Ringedalsvatnet, on the flanks of Norway’s western frontier, is the Troll’s Tongue, or Trolltunga.
It’s a slender limestone ledge that offers a glimpse into a thin air abyss high over the epic, cloud-capped terrain and it’s the climax of The Trolltunga Hike – a well signposted trail that draws a steady stream of Instagrammers to harvest the views.
Odda is a pretty lakeside village on the eastern fringes of Sørfjorden and acts as a good base camp. It’s just 13km from the trailhead at Skjeggedal and hikers can walk from here or steer the car up a serpentine road to shave off 8km.
For the most part it’s an early morning, summertime hike and beyond September it’s best to hire a guide. The route also offers staggering views across national parks. Regular signposts show the distance from Trolltunga along the 1km rise over sea level.
Fitness Level: Above average Difficulty level: Strenuous Distance: 28 kilometres Time: 10-12 hours Start and End points: Skjeggedal
Where: The Hörnli Ridge (Matterhorn Base Camp) Trail Switzerland
What: One of the holy grails of European trails, the cone-shaped Matterhorn can be accessed from Italy or Switzerland, but the most popular route is from slick, celebrity studded (and car free) Zermatt.
The Matterhorn Museum in town will whet your appetite for its peak – if the looming, 4,478 metre giant on your doorstep hasn’t already gripped your undivided attention. Conquering the full mountain is best undertaken with a guide so many hiking enthusiasts start with the base camp at Hörnli Ridge.
If time and energy is limited, take the cable car (9am to 4pm) to Schwarzsee lake at the foot of the mountain. This dramatically reduces the length of the trail, with the best views left for the final ascent on a blue Alpine Trail.
It’s a 90-minute trek across barren rock, with the assistance of ladder and rope as the incline increases. The Hörnli Hut on the ridge (closed until June 30) has a restaurant and accommodation, mostly for jaded climbers returning from the summit, where visitors stop to drink in the views of snow-capped mountains from 3,260 metres above land.
If all that takes its toll, consider that Gornergrat Bahn, a cogwheel train that offers epic views. Or try the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise, the world’s highest cable car, which rises to 3,883 metres as sweeping landscapes across 38 mountain peaks pass the carriage.
Fitness Level: Good agility and fitness Difficulty level: Suitable for moderate to experienced hikers Distance: 20 kilometres Time: One or two days Start and End points: Zermatt
For more info, visitmyswitzerland.com
3. Best for the course of true love
Where: Cinque Terre Liguria, Italy What: Five medieval fishing villages, known as the five lands, or Cinque Terre, are exquisitely carved into a steep terraced cliff side overlooking the Ligurian Sea and form this Unesco World Heritage site – Italy’s oldest and smallest national park.
Stretching from Monterosso to Riomaggiore, the chalky, bright pastel clusters of vernacular buildings are connected by threads carved into the rock. These are ancient pathways that are weaved through gardens and field systems that developed over thousands of years.
Riomaggiore’s Fisherman’s District, where its piazza dips into the sea, is ablaze with vibrant shades that are matched only by the boats moored on land.
The Sentiero Azzurro (the blue trail) is the most popular trek – and the easiest on the limbs – but the first leg (known as the ‘Way of Love’) is under renovation until next year due to mudslides, so the route meanders higher and further than before. This walk (permit fee €7.50) links all villages, and predictably is hilly, so good trekking footwear is essential.
For those who want to cheat a little there’s also a 19th century rail service to connect the chain of coastal settlements, with spectacular views of what is probably the most romantic setting in Europe.
Fitness Level: Moderate Difficulty level: Easy Distance: 12 kilometres Time: 4-6 hours Start and End points: Riomaggiore and Monterosso
Where: Seven Hanging Valleys Trail Algarve, Portugal
What: Linking the beaches of Praia da Marinha beach and Praia de Vale Centeanes, this trail hugs Lagoa’s rust and golden sandy coastline.
The hike works in either direction, but the most popular choice is to start at Marinha, simply for more parking and to avoid facing the afternoon sunshine on the return trip. For the most part, the surface is even and the Atlantic views are magnificent, with massive ochre sea stacks, hidden caves, sinkholes and secret coves.
Praia da Marinha is a startlingly beautiful beach. It is accessed by steps from the cliff side, close to the point where the blowholes on stacks below form a heart shape from a certain angle.
Within an hour is Benagil Beach and one of the trail highlights, where hikers can hire a kayak or take a cruise to Benagil Cave. This is a spellbinding limestone formation with a natural skylight reminiscent of Rome’s Pantheon.
The trail continues past Carvalho Beach, which is accessed by a tunnel, and Alfanzina Lighthouse, before arriving at Praia de Vale Centeanes, where it’s time for lunch or a cocktail at the beachside cafe O Stop.
Fitness Level: Moderate Difficulty level: Easy Distance: 12 kilometres out and back Time: 5 hours Start and End points: Praia da Marinha beach and Praia de Vale Centeanes
For more info, visitvisitalgarve.pt
5. Best for chasing waterfalls
Where: Plitvice National Park Central Croatia Start and End points: Entrance 1
What: Europe’s Garden of Eden, family friendly Plitvice is a Unesco World Heritage site that ambles along the shoreline of 16 translucent lakes that cascade into each other through a succession of rumbling waterfalls.
Set in the southern tip of the Mala Kapela Mountain Range, the thickly forested terrain is alive with colour from the blooms that push up through the crevices to the kaleidoscope of butterflies that clouds the heavens.
It’s an otherworldly setting that appeals across generations – a turquoise and emerald natural grotto that could be peeled straight from a fairy tale.
There’s 18km of trails spread over the park’s 30,000 hectares in a series of paths. Route C covers the upper and lower lake in a chain of timber footbridges and pathways, and it’s best to get an early start before the sounds of the forests are obscured by other visitors. A boat across Kozjak, the largest and deepest lake, breaks the route – and is a good incentive to motivate younger walkers.
