Suggestions for int...
 

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Suggestions for interesting european hiking holiday

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As above really. Want to go in September. Would prefer different b&b each night.not camping and must be sunny for wife. Whatcha got??


 
Posted : 30/04/2023 7:35 pm
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Slovenia  Its basic to good mountain huts each night rather than B&Bs  some of the huts like the one near the summit of Krn are pretty primative - its was a WW! artillery spotter post others are really nice.  take a sheet sleeping bag.  You can make up your own routes from the maps and the summits are accessible ie not too high or hard

Or Sibilini circuit in Italy  that was a STW recommendation for me and I really enjoyed it.  Its guest houses / or hotels depending


 
Posted : 30/04/2023 7:43 pm
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Or September - the mountains in the north of Mallorca.  Did a very nice trek there and its likely to be hotter - and you can go on a 100yr old electric train


 
Posted : 30/04/2023 7:57 pm
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GR70 in France, the Stevenson trail (named after Robert L S himself). You can even hire a donkey for part of the route to recreate his journey (I think the hire periods are for you to choose). Some of the accommodation on route is set up for your donkey overnighters, looked delightful as I cycled past them.
However, the donkey will walk at its own pace….


 
Posted : 30/04/2023 8:26 pm
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Tour du Mont Blanc? I did it 30 years ago across Italy, CH and France in 7 days and it was brilliant.


 
Posted : 30/04/2023 10:54 pm
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This is all you need: https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/apr/30/walking-the-wilder-side-of-the-algarve-portugal-western-algarve

There's a very nice designer/luxury hotel called the Memmo in Sagres for your last night. Room and a bunch of beers cost a very reasonable €120 when I was there.

This is the wild card: https://peaksofthebalkans.info/


 
Posted : 30/04/2023 11:01 pm
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Just look at walking tour companies itineraries in Sept. Most focus on southern European hills due to more reliable weather

We go to Europe in early Sept most years and have usually had good weather. We've also had a few really crap weather holidays


 
Posted : 01/05/2023 12:02 am
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This is on my bucket list GR20 Corsica, you can do sections rather than all of it at once.

Having been there road riding it’s a stunning Island.


 
Posted : 01/05/2023 12:39 pm
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Met a lovely French girl walking the west coast of Portugal from Sinas to Faro. Fisherman's Trail. Quite sandy, but some nice towns along the way.

Was tempted to follow her. Views would have been amazing.

Munich to Venice across the alps. Two weeks walk. E4 or E5. Lots of huts along the way.

Via Alta in Liguria, Italy.


 
Posted : 01/05/2023 3:43 pm
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The Dolomites in Italy are nice - great accommodation in mountain rifugio's. The walking can be fairly hardcore, so pick your route accordingly. I reckon the Carpathians would be good too, but never been.


 
Posted : 01/05/2023 9:19 pm
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@Fantombiker - in about 2011 we were in the Sierra de Grazalema in Andalucia. It's lovely area and we bumped into a couple on a walk who were on a "On Foot Holidays" self-guided tour. They walked each day and their suitcases were shipped on to the next B&B or hotel each day. They were  doing a tour of a couple of minor Andalucian mountain ranges. The company were British and used locals (mostly ex-pats mountain guides) to arrange everything for you.   It sounds like a good idea for you guys.

Sept is always tricky with weather but the further south you go the more likely it is to get decent weather


 
Posted : 02/05/2023 5:33 pm
 ton
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beer/sightseeing tour of Belgium.
me and the good lady are going in a month.
rotterdam-zierikzee-middleburg-bruges-ghent-oudenaarde-brussels-antwerp-breda-delft.

taking in lots of drinking locations, a few historic places. and just enjoying being out on our bikes

perfect.


 
Posted : 02/05/2023 5:53 pm
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I did the TMB across the end of Sept and beginning of Oct a couple of years ago to avoid the hordes, went from high 20s sunshine to rain and finally snow. Many of the refuges were closed and those that were open were heavily booked or shut down as unstaffed winter shelters. Did a mix of camping, refuges and Airbnb booking on the hoof which added to the adventure... A rewarding solo trip which I enjoyed immensely but not a recipe for a relaxing holiday..

Pyrenees GR10 from Lescun to Gavarnie is stunning but again weather and accomodation may be a challenge in Sept.

GR221 in Mallorca is beautiful, picked an Easter due to the 'reliable' weather patterns and enjoyed heavy rain and cloudy viewless passes for most of it 😀 good reason to go back I guess..

+1 for the luggage shuttle/ guided tour type trip suggested. I've read there is good hiking in the Canaries and Madeira.


 
Posted : 02/05/2023 8:51 pm
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Peaks of the balkans looks good. We criss crossed it on our bikes. The only time we really saw tourists, so it seems a bit of a shame to be following others, ant like. The zagori region in Greece is great to prob better weather and infrastructure. There are beautiful stone villages connected by mile tracks and famous bridges. As above check out what season tour operators run. We got snowed out at Easter- no tours were running!


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 10:38 am
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must be sunny for wife

This is the big problem. Mountain weather can be very unreliable, e.g. we went to Val Gardena in the Dolomites in July 2012 for a week of via ferrate and it was 20C and glorious every day. Our friends went exactly a year later to do the Alta Via 1 and woke up on the first morning to 2m of snow which ruined their planned route.

The Cordillera Cantabrica mountains across Northern Spain are an other possible option. Parque Natural de Somiedo is lovely. Generally as you head from Asturias/Cantabria into Castille & Leon province it gets a lot drier and there are hills everywhere. Picos de Europa is less reliable for weather, probably due to proximity to the ocean


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 11:16 am
 scud
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Tatra mountains in Slovakia would be a slightly out there recommendation, a friend is currently living out there and we went for 5 days biking (some great downhills trails) and some hiking, can honestly say that the hiking was as good if not better than much that i've done in French/ italian Alps. Plus food and drink was fairly cheap and the people dead friendly.


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 2:26 pm
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Tj has it

Slovenia. Best country ever...


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 2:59 pm
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Slovenia is nice. Big mountains, lots of wild flowers and insects you don't see elsewhere in the alps. Massively under developed compared to much of the alps.


 
Posted : 03/05/2023 3:46 pm

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