| 1. West Coast Trail, Canada |
Check out the best of British Columbia’s wilderness by doing the West Coast Trail. The trail has an interesting history having been built so that sailors could be rescued from the Graveyard of the Pacific. This seaside trail takes in beautiful forests and cliffs, often with the help of ladders. It is 75 kilometres long and only open between the beginning of May and the end of September.
|
|
| 2. Torres del Paine, Chile |
The Cordillera del Paine is a set of small mountains in the south of Chile which have been pushed into crazy shapes by Glaciers. The W walk takes about 3 days or you can do the full loop in just over a week. There are at least 10 different treks all between five and 22 kilometres long.
|
| 3. GR20, Corsica |
At 180 kilometres the GR20 is challenging for any hikers, no matter how experienced. The walk takes in the beauty of this Mediterranean island mostly along footpaths, though there is some scrabbling aided by built-in ladders and ropes. These are especially useful when there is snow or high winds. But normally the weather is fantastic and trail markings are easy to see. The GR20 usually takes about two weeks.
|
| 4. The Appalachian Trail, USA |
Probably the best known hiking trail in North America, the Appalachian Trail goes all the way from the southern state of Georgia up to Maine. Springer Mountain is considered the starting feature for the walk which finishes at Katadhin Mountain some 3,510 kilometres later. While much of the Appalachian Trail is in the wilderness, you do occasionally have to go through towns. That does not stop many hikers trying to do it in a single season.
|
| 5. The Coast to Coast Route, UK |
See the best British countryside on the Coast to Coast Route. Devised by British writer Alfred Wainwright, it takes in three national parks including the magnificent Lake District and the Yorkshire Moors. Hikers start by the Irish Sea on the West Coast and end up by the North Sea on the East Coast. If fact Wainright said that to do the walk properly you must first dip your boots in the St Bees Sea and finish by getting your feet wet at Robin Hood’s Bay. The route is about 354 kilometres - bring plenty of waterproof clothing.
|
| 6. Annapurna Circuit, Nepal |
It takes about three weeks to do this 300 kilometre trek which passes some of the most impressive Himalaya Mountains. The massif contains six peaks, the highest of which is over eight thousand metres. Until someone climbed Mountain Everest this peak, Annapurna I, was the highest peak ever to be scaled by humans. You can also choose between two other trek routes which are the Annapurna sanctuary Route to the base camp, and the Jomson Trek which goes between Jomson and Muktinath. There are plenty of well equipped, cheap guesthouses.
|
| 7. The Santa Cruz Trek, Peru |
The Cordillera Blanca is the main section of the Peruvian Andes. This Santa Cruz is one of the best hikes in South America because of the variety. You can see snow-capped mountains, glaciers and crystal clear lagoons. Along the way rest weary bones with a long soak in hot thermal springs. The Santa Cruz trek is the most moderate route offered – the others are only suitable for hardcore climbers. Still it takes four days to travel about 50 kilometres and there is a high risk of altitude sickness. You could also crick your neck looking at the highest mountain, Huascaran, which towers some 6,768 metres over the Santa Cruz Trek.
|
| 8. Overland Track, Tasmania |
Australia is famous for its bush walks. The Australian island of Tasmania has many great bush walks and the Overland Track is the best known of them. It is one of the jewels in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. The setting is spectacular with both Lake St Clair and Cradle Mountain to marvel at. A 65 kilometre track joins these two features and it draws an estimated eight thousand hikers per year. They get to see an incredibly diverse landscape which shifts rapidly between alpine forest and temperate rainforest.
|
| 9. Camino de Santiago, Spain |
This trail has been trod by pilgrims for thousands of years but it is also attractive to hikers at it takes in some beautiful scenery. The wine producing regions of Rioja and Navarre are along the Way of St James, a 460 kilometre trek to the city of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. Walk more than 100 kilometres on the trail and you get a certificate called the Compostela.
|
| 10. The Lewis and Clark Trail, USA |
At more than 7,400 kilometres no one is going to suggest that you build the Lewis and Clark trail into a holiday. Yet the route obviously holds great historical significance for Americans. It starts in Washington and gradually makes its way across America before concluding at the Pacific Ocean in the stunning state of Oregon.
|