March 8, 2024
The world is littered with long-distance trails that allow you to lose yourself in the rhythm of moving for weeks or months at a time. But not all of us have months to devote to adventure, or even the desire to keep pushing that long. But what if you want to get to know these iconic routes, and the idea of immersing yourself in a more suitable adventure is appealing? Well, dear reader, here are some ideas to inspire you to do just that.
The Via Alpina is over 5,000 kilometers and passes through eight countries. If you walked it from start to finish with no rest days, it would take the better part of a year, passing through remote, high altitude scenery, with large daily distances with big elevation. This is a walk that requires time, fitness, and experience on technical trails.
Choose shorter distances, stick to lower altitudes, or use it as inspiration to find your own version of adventure in the Alps. For example, this section near Trieste in Italy follows gentler contours than some of the higher alpine sections, and is criss-crossed by roads making it easier to access. You could also alter the route to do a shorter chunk, allowing high-altitude adventure that can be completed in a more job-friendly timespan.
From the tip of Norway to the southern coast of Portugal, this trail covers 7,600 kilometers, avoiding paved and traffic-heavy roads as much as possible. As you’d imagine when crossing 10 international borders, the landscapes vary widely, from Nordic forests to Spain’s surprisingly empty desert landscapes. Access to amenities varies too.
The good news is there are so many ways to make this GINORMOUS route suit you. Choose the flattest, non-technical bits, with good access to towns. Say, stage 13, which passes through the forests outside Göteborg in Sweden. Alternatively, stage 24 through the Jura Mountains in France is a tough ride, but wowza, the views. Plus there are cabins to bivy in and wildlife galore waiting to be encountered. Big adventure in a short(er) timeframe.
Crossing the Alps by your own speed is an iconic adventure challenge, and there are many variations on this classic. Most routes begin in southern Germany, cross the Austrian Alps, delivering you in Italy after some stiff climbs and lots of remote mountain scenery. Some are better known than others and for hikers, the E5 Trans Alp is iconic, while many mountain bikers follow the Joe Route.
There’s good news for the time-pressed adventurer! Whether completing your trans-alp by foot or by bike, both the E5 route and the Joe Route can be completed in just over a week. That’s a tough week though, with lots of elevation. For the hiker who prefers a lower center of gravity, the Rheinsteig Trail replaces summit views with river views and culinary delights. For cyclists, the high-altitude gravel and singletrack could be replaced by the castles and Roman ruins of the 3-day Taunus Trail.
The Spanish caminos are traditional pilgrimage routes through Spain – and yes there are more than one. However at some point all trails to Santiago de Compostela join the iconic camino route, the Camino Frances, following 780 kilometers to the town’s cathedral. That’s 30 days of walking along well sign-posted, generally wide gravel farm roads, or if you prefer, cycling (the route is shared by walkers and cyclists alike).
Unlike some of the wilder alpine routes on this list, the camino is more of a cultural wander through the Spanish countryside with plenty of amenities en route and fellow pilgrims sharing the adventure. The good news is you can still enjoy the camino experience even if you don’t have a month to spare. Get a sense of camaraderie and culture (not to mention your official camino certificate) by walking or riding only the final stage. To be eligible for a pilgrim’s certificate, you’re required to walk the final 100 kilometers (or 200 kilometers if cycling) along an official camino route.
The longest national trail in Britain may not throw you into sketchy high-altitude terrain, but walking along 24 kilometers’ worth of narrow, rocky cliff paths in a single day is not for everyone. Commit to the full 1,000 kilometer route—nearly two months’ of walking—and the elevation starts to stack up too. Ocean views and seafood snacks are a great reward… but two months is a long time off work.
If you want something a little more chill, you’ll be pleased to read that the SWCP is not all sharp climbs, steep descents, and rocky, uneven stretches. Elevation is unavoidable but there are long grassy sections of trail and wide, flat, gravelly bits too. If you want bang for your buck where striking views are concerned, you could combine stages 48, 49, and 50 for a short multi-day adventure along the famous Jurassic Coast.
Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) is more a concept than a route per se, but it is a rite of passage for many UK-based adventure lovers. And it’s no mean feat, covering over 1,000 kilometers (in frequently unfriendly British weather). If you want to go big on this one, do it all in one go, or take it off-road, following the GB Divide, an indirect, singletrack, doubletrack, and elevation-heavy version of the route.
If you don’t have time to ride the entire length of the UK on a LEJOG route, recreate the satisfying end to end sensation by cycling the breadth of the UK instead. One of the friendliest versions of the coast to coast ride is the Trans-Pennine Trail. Following rivers, canals, and old railway lines, this is a well-sign-posted ride with little elevation that you can comfortably cover in a week off work.
The Colorado Trail (CT) might not carry quite the same level of kudos as the Pacific Crest, Continental Divide, or Appalachian Trails, but it packs a punch in its own right. It’s 860 kilometers of the good stuff – mountains, meadows, and woods. No road or “filler” sections here. It came to life as a hiking trail but (a slightly adapted version) has been adopted by the mountain biking community – seems like anyone with a lust for the mountains and an appetite for a challenge loves this route.
If you’re comparing the CT to the likes of the Pacific Crest Trail, which takes most hikers six months or so to complete, a one-month(ish) walk or an intense 10-day mountain bike ride along the CT already is the short version. But you can make it shorter. Ambassador Lael Wilcox picked a 5-day segment to hike, and you could consider doing the same, either by foot or by bike.
For riders who lack skills or interest in technical mountain biking, the Route 66 ride offers a different kind of challenge. Sticking to paved cycling paths and roads, with far more accommodation and food options en-route, this one’s still a big route, but more accessible if riding up technical trails is not your thing.
Photo #2 "Europe" by Yvo In Den Bosch