What It’s Like to Thru-Hike in Europe (It’s Complicated)
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
- In this video, I tell you what it's like thru-hiking in Europe. What are the main differences between thru-hiking in North America vs Europe, what are the wild camping rules, explain rifugios (mountain huts), give safety advice, and other important things. If you ever want to thru-hike in Europe, then this is the video that you should watch.
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Towards the end, I also share some popular long distance hikes in Europe, like:
1. Camino de Santiago (9 routes, 4400 km / 2730 miles)
2. Rota Vincentina (230 km / 143 miles)
3. GR11 (840 km / 522 miles)
4. GR10 (866 km / 538 miles)
5. HRP (800 km / 497 miles)
6. GR20 (180 km / 112 miles)
7. Walker’s Haute Route (225 km / 139 miles)
8. Alta Via 1 (120 km / 75 miles)
9. Alta Via 2 (160 km / 99 miles)
10. Alpe-Adria Trail (750 km / 466 miles)
11. Tour Du Mont Blanc ( km 170 / 106 miles)
12. GR5 (2290 km / 1423 miles)
13. Traumpfad (550 km / 342 miles)
14. Via Alpina (5 routes, 5482 km / 3406 miles)
15. Rennsteig (169 km / 105 miles)
16. Rheinsteig (320 km / 199 miles)
17. Rothaarsteig (154 km / 96 miles)
18. Eifelsteig (313 km / 194 miles)
19. Pieterpad (498 km / 309 miles)
20. Via Romea Francigena (2000 km / 1243 miles)
21. Via Transilvanica (1400 km / 870 miles)
22. West Highland Way (155 km / 96 miles)
23. South West Coast Way (1014 km / 630 miles)
24. Pennine Way (431 km / 268 miles)
25. The Ridgeway (139 km / 87 miles)
26. Kungsleden (450 km / 279 miles)
27. Padjelantaleden (137 km / 85 miles)
28. Long Lofoten Crossing (160 km / 100 miles)
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▼ TABLE OF CONTENTS
00:00 - Intro
00:39 - Wild Camping
02:19 - Rifugios
03:11 - Water
03:43 - Food
04:28 - Animals
06:21 - Language
06:54 - Costs
07:33 - EU Thru-Hikes
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It's important to understand that some of these trails are really not what many people think of when they think of hiking. Many of the non-mountainous ones in more populated countries like the UK or Germany or Spain (and I assume that one in the Netherlands) are not in the "wilderness" at all. You will be mostly on broad tracks and will do a lot of hiking through farmland, sometimes you will be on little farm roads or even actual roads for a time, you will walk through or past farms and villages and even towns often.
Correct for the one in the Netherlands!
As a Canadian living in Germany for about a decade now, I found this out the hard way... and damn I miss the Canadian wilderness for anything outdoors haha on the other hand, most all EU cities are beautiful though
@@alexanderl.415 I've never been to Canada but I sooo badly want to go hiking there! It just looks stunning.
@@alexanderl.415 go hike in the nordics
@@alexanderl.415 There are some places you can hike like that. I know of the forststeig in Saxonia/Bohemian Swiss. 100k with only 1 town.
But then again: it is nothing compared to Canada.
My 2 cents towards wild camping in Slovakia:
You can wild camp anywhere except in National Parks and properties that are marked as "forests". What this means in practice is that if you're not in a National Park, find a clearing and wild camp there. Set up your tent once it's dark, pack up and leave early in the morning. Nobody is going to say anything to you, there are no rangers outside of National Parks. And if you're on a private property, if it's not fenced up, you can walk through. If they are at home, ask them if you can camp at their property and you're safe from any laws. Otherwise use common sense. The law's not super clear on this. Most places in the mountains are not private properties. They belong either to the state or to the Forests Slovakia, which is a state-owned company.
However, from my experience, as long as you respect your surroundings and leave no trace, you'll be fine.
In National Parks, there are always designated spots for wild camping. Usually next to huts or rifugios (útulňa in Slovak). Except in the High Tatras - no wild camping spots there. But, there are several well-maintained and serviced huts to spend the night in (for a fee, discounted for Alpenverein members, even German, Austrian, Polish, Hungarian, etc., which is nice. Some require a reservation in peak season).
There is one thru-hike that spans the length of Slovakia, the SNP Trail. (Slovak National Uprising Trail). Ca 760 km. It only passes through one National Park (the Low Tatras), which is quite beautiful, to be honest, and there are multiple well-placed wild camping spots either next to huts or rifugios. There might be one or two that are only next to a water source, no hut.
Other than that, we've got several 3-4-day crest trails that are worth an extended weekend. The Velka Fatra, Mala Fatra, Low Tatras (Nizke Tatry in Slovak), or Male Karpaty to name a few.
Plus, all wild water sources in Slovakia are safe to drink unfiltered.
The Czech Republic is somewhat similar, although they do have a law that allows "overnighting" outside of National Parks, if I'm not mistaken. The law understands "overnighting" as sleeping outside in a bivvy bag or a hammock, not a tent. You can only spend one night in one place.
One more tip for hiking in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. We've got a massive net of hiking trails that are superbly marked and colour-coded. Download the app mapy.cz. It's free, usable offline, and it's got all the trails, water sources, huts, rifugios, and so much more.
The colour coding of our trails is as follows:
Blue and green - standard trail
Red - crest trail or any longer trail
Yellow - connecting trail
EDIT/UPDATE:
Outside of National Parks, there is one single entity you should give a VERY wide berth. The hunters.
If you're going to camp on a clearing, make EXTRA SURE there's no hunting lodge/hunting tower nearby. Especially in rut season (september-october). It's best if you're in an area inaccessible to vehicles.
Technically, the hunters don't own any of the land (most of the time) and have no right to bother you. That doesn't mean they won't. There's this weird hunter culture in Slovakia (a remnant of the commie times) where they sometimes feel like they are the lords of the wild and own everything the eye can see. Avoid them at all costs. I've had several run-ins with local hunters, almost none of them positive.
Avoid hunters at all costs. They are armed and often inebriated, consider them dangerous.
Fortunately, they usually can't be bothered to walk far and are almost completely reliant on their cars. (Understandable, I wouldn't want to carry a dead deer on my back either.)
This is less of a problem in mountainous areas, but if you're hiking through the countryside in the lowlands, keep it in mind.
Oh yeah, and we've got bears too. Not too many, they'll usually notice you before you even know they are there and they'll walk the other way, but it's nice to carry a small bear spray just in case.
Hang your food far from your tent. You'll be fine.
There's a big bear scare in Slovakia right now and the bears have become a political topic. They have been harassing some settlements close to the mountains by ravaging bins and walking around orchards. It's a problem for the locals, sure, but as a hiker, you haven't got anything to be afraid of. Just keep it in mind.
Great info.
Thanks for the great information! Do you know if mountain biking is allowed on trails or in National Parks in general in Slovakia?
@@reb_s in national parks and nature reserves it must be marked as a biking trail otherwise it is illegal. The rest is more or less legally accessible. Just be aware that if you want to go bikepacking, some marked bike paths in Slovakia have not always high quality surface as it is e.g. in Austria and especially in the mountains it may be steep so be prepared to push some segments.
PS: a hidden treasure of Slovakia is inland Danube delta with a system of distributaries, just be prepared for knee deep wading through levees between islands.
Man big respect that you took the time to type all that to share your information! much appreciated
@@Cassadin1883 Happy to help! There's not much our tiny Slovakia can offer to the world, but I believe our mountains and nature are worth seeing.
If my little comment helps some people to come and explore our country, I'll be super happy!
In France you can do wild camping in many areas it’s called « bivouac » meaning you can sleep from 7pm til 9am, or sunset to sunrise, in the mountains you even see the signs sometimes. But you are not allowed to put your tent for longer than that. But if you are hidden and clean nobody will tell you anything. And it’s always a question of being respectful
true, if I may add, usually national parks also add the rule that you must be at least 1 hour hike from inhabited area. This to avoid crowding the surroundings
Not allowed in many National Parks though. In which case usually it's still allowed next to the refuges.
Exactly- I hiked across France and bivouac is accepted nearly everywhere!
I live (and hike extensively) in Romania. As long as you keep any food and food items away from your tent during the night, you won't have trouble with bears. Yes, most likely you WILL see bears when hiking, there's an insane amount of bears in Romania. But, if you don't provoke them or try to pet them, they're mostly afraid of or indifferent towards people. However, just because there's a lot of them, don't assume that they're friendly: all bears are wild animals and should be treated as such. Behave calmly around them and slowly move away without turning your back, they'll either carry on with what they were doing or leave the area.
Shepherd dogs are a different thing... Not only are they usually both starving and aggressive but they live in packs of 5-12. A lot of shepherd dogs live semi-feral lives where they roam, scavenge and even hunt from autumn to mid-spring. If you see sheep or cows on the mountain, give them a wide berth: the dogs usually protect the immediate area around the flock and will give chase if the herd is approached. Don't count on the shepherd calling back the dogs if they attack (even if he does, 9 times out of 10 the dogs don't listen to him). If you're attacked by a pack of dogs DO. NOT. RUN. Carry bear spray and trekking poles and stand your ground while slowly backing away. Only use the bear spray if really necessary, usually there are more dogs than you have spray for.
If you meet the shepherd before the dogs, try greeting him and shaking hands with him. The dogs interpret this as you being "part of the flock" and generally leave you alone or even act friendly towards you (that, however, depends entirely on how the shepherd treats them). Don't expect the shepherds to speak English or any other language than their own (sometimes they speak both Hungarian and Romanian, usually only one of the two).
Natural springs are cleaner than tap water in most countries, they're completely safe to drink from.
For one of the biggest challenges in European Hiking theres the "E1". It runs about 7000km from the north Cape in Norway to southern Italy.
Since I'm from Poland and I'm not a youtuber I will say that in theory there are designated woodland areas for camping, but in practice you can camp almost anywhere - except reserves and national parks. The only thing you can get into trouble is campfire, although many people do it anyway - you just need to accept the risk of paying fine.
Great video. CZcams is saturated with PCT/AT/CDT videos, it’s great to see Europe getting some love ❤
The PCT/AT/CDT are great if you like hiking with half a million other hikers on the same trail at any given time... Trails in Sweden kick North America's ass - especially the Kungsleden...
@@FunkteonExcept Kungsleden is like the most popular mountain trail in all of Sweden. If you want more of a wilderness experience there are plenty of better trails than Kungsleden, for instance Nordkalottleden/Nordkalottruta, Lapplandsleden and even Södra Kungsleden might do. Depending on when and where on those trails you hike there will be more/less people.
I hiked the hexatrek across France after hiking the PCT and enjoyed hiking in France more !
@@unmercifulfate Except Sweden has the same population as downtown Manhattan across a country that is the size of a few US states, so even though it is popular for Sweden, you can still go days without seeing another hiker, unlike the trails in North America which have a fucken gas station every 30 miles at most, and hundreds of hikers on every section of trail.
@@FunkteonSure, but Kungsleden is still not a great choice if you want more of a wilderness experience 😊 But maybe if you come from the US or any other crowded country, one might consider Kungsleden to be the wilderness. But there are both quite a lot of people (comparatively with other mountain trails) as well as lots of huts.
Great video, thank you. We've a long trail in Germany since 2020, the NST - North-South-Trail. It goes from the nothern to the southern points and it includes 32 top trails of Germany. 3600 km long. The homepage is "Nord-Süd-Trail". They're working on the English version. The trail has a small but wonderful community of supporters and trailangels. This trail is not about wilderness - it's about cultural landscapes, history and good food, beer and wine. You are welcome....
Oh. I'm German and I didn't even know that! I'm going to do the Eifel Steig this summer. 313 km. My first hike that requires a bit of planning. Wish me luck 😅
@@raraavis7782 viel Spaß ✨
@@raraavis7782 Gutes Gelingen und viel Spaß
Some really key items are missing: The most dangerous animal, which kill the most hikers every year, are cows. People come to close to them, especially when they have calves, and those 500kg mothers don´t like that.
Another point, it is not the rifugios you are describing, but the biwaks. Major difference.
And the last point, really relevant for european thruhikers: All paths, huts etc are maintained by alpine clubs. SAS, DAV, ÖAV, to name a few. If you join one (50-80€ per year), your membership is respected in all countries. And your membership offers normally: Discount on sleeping in huts/cabanes,/rifugios.., getting a special, discount lunch and dinner in them as well, and also an insurance for rescue costs. Any thruhike related to the alps should consider such membership.
absolutely a great advice, i am a member of the italian CAI and it's a very good idea to join one of them, less important for smaller hikes but for thruhiking is very important.
And don't forget the ticks....
@@RoadDestination yes, but they are not as dangerous as some believe. Or I have always been lucky.
I have gotten A LOT of ticks, just twenty last summer, and every year I get some. And my family also. I have never known anyone personally with diseases from ticks.
Some of my less outdoor loving friends are absolutely scared of ticks and panicked when they discovered they got them and they went to the hospital thinking it was a big deal when it really wasn't.
We remove them with a drop of hand sanitizer and after a couple minutes with tweezers, you must be careful with removing them.
I have gotten good at removing ticks and in the high risk weeks I use bug deterrent.
Shame you didn't include more trails from Scandinavia. Yes, they might not be as "popular" as fewer people are living here than in central/southern Europe, thus fewer thru-hikers, but they are popular and well-known trails for people living here. A few notable and demanding ones which definitely are not popular are the UKK-route about 1100 kilometers mostly in wilderness in Finland which is part of the E10 long-distance trail from Nuorgam Finland to Tarifa Spain. Also the White and Green Ribbon (color depends if you traveled it during summer or winter) trail from Grövelsjön Sweden to the Three-Country Cairn at which the international borders of Sweden, Norway and Finland meet sure sounds demanding as it goes along the Swedish and Norwegian mountains for 1300 kilometers. Would also throw in the various St.Olav Ways, the most northern pilgrim routes in the world. Thousands walk those during summer. Those will surely get more populated in the future.
I was surprised there wasn't more focus on Scandinavia and Finland too. They are so wild and beautiful; I always go hiking there when I can. Conversely, I only do day hikes or short hikes (or otherwise hut tours in the Alps) in Germany where I live because for me it's not worth it to me to carry a heavy pack of camping gear just to spend weeks walking through farmland and villages and towns.
In Norway you have many routes to Trondheim called "Pilegrimsleden", old routes used by religious people when walking to the Nidarosdomen.
Yeah, I really was surprised that he didn't show the pilgrim routes to Trondheim.
I don't know why more people isn't hiking Norway and Sweden. Such beautiful nature. Hiking Norway from South to North is my next goal.
At the end of the day 80% of the people want to hike in a cheaper country with good infrastructure and choose one of the caminos. Then you have some others that make famous thruhikes in the alps, also with good infrastructure (e.g. E5, Vienna - Nice, Munich - Venice). And then you have a minority that really wants to hike in wilderness, and those go to Scandinavia or East Europe. I think its also good, so those hikes are not crowded and nature is not so much under pressure.
Lots of people do. I'm guessing the video was based on experience in the south (despite claiming it's "Europe") because most of the info is wrong for the Nordics.
Right! I have thru-hiked both Sweden and Norway (there's no "one trail" though, so you choose your own route) and really recommend it if you want a lot of nature and solitude 🤗
Lots of people do. I feel like most Germans who do longer hiking tours usually to do so in Sweden or Norway.
Many do it, but Scandinavia is expensive for most Europeans, and the weather and terrain could be challenging for many (and the food, for us Southerners ;-)
Definitely don't agree with the language part. Yes, those 3 countries are an issue, but in the rest of Europe people are usually fluent in English and will gladly switch to English to accommodate tourists.
I found that weird as well. The language issue might occur more in southern Europe and maybe a bit among the elderly in the rural areas of eastern Europe but in the rest everyone speaks English and is willing to speak it.
?? If ur visiting a foreign country its common courtesy to try to learn their language. U cant go to a country that doesnt speak english and then complain when they talk to you in their language lol. I know alo of eastern people that learn languages of countries they are visitng yet most of the toursits that visit eastern countries insist on speaking english or their mother langauge.
Except my aunt Megan Jones, she hate the English! So dont speak Cambridge like English!
German Scottish Irish or Dutch accent are preferred!
Angry because Thatcher closed the Welsh coalmines and lose her job!
A very famous day hike in the Netherlands
Holward to Ameland!
No trail no marks!
Some emergency cabins with a 15m robe ladder!
A very heavy 4 5 hour guided day hike
Without a guide, your insurance can not like getting a bill from Royal Dutch Airforce or Coast Guard!
Yes walking from Holward Harbor to the Island Ameland in low tide!
@@n1tronithey could try German French or Polska
Or Jiddisch in Amsterdam/ Antwerpen dont speak Hebrew if you dont know them
Ultra Orthodoxe Jews are commly pro Palestijn
In Italy you can find also "Sentiero Italia" crossing the whole country, Sardinia and Sicily included, It's running on the mountain chains for almost 7.000 Km
Don't forget about Wales! We have gorgeous countryside here. The Pembrokeshire coast path and Snowdonia slate trail are a couple of long distance trails worth doing. Wild camping is technically not allowed but tolerated as long as you are considerate. The Cape Wrath trail in Scotland is another in the UK.
A thru-hike I’d recommend in Eastern Europe is the Kom - Emine trail in Bulgaria. The trail follows the ridge of the Balkan Mountain range so most of the trail will be above the tree line. There’s lots of huts on the trail as well so sleeping is not an issue.
Sounds fantastic!
For a few years now we have a trail that goes around the whole country its named Via Czechia long 2000km.
Via Czechia is shit, Stezka Českem is the real deal.
@@stonoczit’s the same thing 😂
Sweden has marked trails criss-crossing the entire country. Each province has one or several trails crossing the entire province (and usually connecting to the trails of neighbouring provinces), as well as the other usual long distance trails like different pilgrim routes or specific trails through significant natural areas and stuff like that. Most of these trails are not particularly popular with tourists, but they are all marked and has maps and websites and stuff, and often wind shelters to stay the night in. It's mostly the trails up in the mountains (Kungsleden etc.) that are super popular.
Camping is also allowed practically everywhere. Making fires and that sort of thing is allowed as a baseline, but nature reserves or parks usually forbid it, and there are often province wide bans on making fires during the summer months depending on how dry the weather has been (due to the risk of forest fires).
That said, I think Norway is pretty much exactly the same but with amazing nature (mountains, fjords, waterfalls and shit instead of the endless pine forests of Sweden), so you should probably go there instead, haha. I guess if you really hate mountains then Sweden could be a good idea.
Yup, pretty much the case here. Hiking, camping, and fire making is allowed almost anywhere. And the mountain trails are spectacular
In Poland there is "Zanocuj w lesie" program, which allows you to camp legally in certain forests, and there are a few long distance trails up to 500km (longest is Main Beskid Trail)
Adding to that, many polish people camp in wild, outside of those designated forests. I do not encourage this. Anyway if you apply to "leave no trace", there shouldn't be a problem.
It's a shame so many European countries don't allow people to sleep outside of their own home or designated areas. It should be a human right to be able to sleep in nature, that's what we're made for. As a Norwegian I got so shocked the first time I heard all countries don't have a version of allemannsretten.
GSB nie jest najdłuższym szlakiem w Polsce. Najdłuższy jaki znalazłam ma prawie 1000 km. A pomiędzy nim a GSB jest jeszcze kilka innych.
@@annakrzyminska8033 napisz jak się nazywa ten najdłuższy, który znalazłaś.
The shepard dogs you mentioned aren't shepard dogs, they are herd protection dogs, trained to protect the herd from preditors, they are litterly trained to keep their herd safe and can be "agressive" towards hikers if they deem them a threat, when you see these dogs, do not go closer to the herd do not make threatening movements or shooing sounds towards the dog but walk away like described in the video.
I am saying "agressive" because they are not likely to charge you unprovoked but will more likely growl at you and leave you be in peace when you distance yourself.
Nah, some lot of them have charged me unprovoked. 🙂 but pretty rarely though. Most of them are friendly! Still, if your dog is so agressive that he might bite hikers, then he shouldn't be protecting your sheep on public land, where hiking trails pass through... especially a pack of 6-10 agressive dogs. What if I'd be hiking with children and they'd start running away, not knowing any better? Slightly agressive dogs is fine, because they need to be like that to protect their herd. But the problem is that some farmers use completely untrained, agressive ones...
French dog trainer here.
Herd guarding dogs are usually untrained. They don't need to be. Instead, they grow up inside their herd and protect them against anything they see as a threat because their herd is basically their family. They are meant to be left unsupervised to protect against predators when the shepherd isn't here too. Sadly, if they don't often see diverse humans while growing up, they will consider us to be threats too.
Some people, either not knowing, or because they're scared someone might steal their sheep, will skip that part of the socialisation process of their dogs, and that results in the kind of dogs that can bark and charge at humans, which is really meh of said people in my opinion.
Do note that the shepherd is usually not in charge of the protection dogs at all, they're just here to herd the sheep and care for them. The owner of the sheep also owns the protection dogs.
That being said, sheep, cattle, and the dogs that protect them, are an essential part of the ecosystem in our mountains, and to some extent, we owe them the same respect we owe wild animals. This is why there are many signs at the start of trails explaining the behaviour expected of hikers around these dogs. We hikers are on their living place, not the other way around, and they're the ones maintaining the mountains ecosystems healthy for us to enjoy in our hikes.
Protection dogs should be well socialized to humans, and this isn't done enough, but the proper attitude with a herd is always to go around it with a good margin, protection dogs or not. Someone who hikes in European mountains should be aware of how to behave around said dogs (let them check you if they want to and do as @linabuttner63 explained)
I think the MASSIV trail in Norway definitely deserves mention on this list, as it's Norway's first thru hike!
The question is though, what is the difference between a thru-hike and a regular trail? To me, MassIV is quite short, so should it really be considered a thru-hike?
If Norge på langs was a proper trail I'd say that is more of a thru-hike.
@@unmercifulfate it's tricky because the definition is undefined, but the MASSIV is actually listed as a thru hike. Because of the tough terrain and often terrible weather, it takes a month to hike. There are people who complete it in less time, but only if they pack super light and stay at the dnt cabins the whole way and don't have to carry food or any shelter. Otherwise, if you're wild camping and making your own meals, it's an absolute slog of a hike with atrocious weather. It definitely takes longer than the advertised time for folks who are roughing it
@Tarahhh By that definition I guess Kungsleden and Nordkalottruta should also count, since they are also quite demanding (but not quite as demanding as MASSIV I admit) since they are longer, and I'm sure some people do count them, but in my opinion it feels strange to count trails that don't either go through a whole country, or are at least 1000 km long.
If it takes you a whole month you would have to be fairly slow (12 km per day) even if you hike with a full pack (which definitely doesn't have to be super heavy even packed with food and a tent. My backpack for hiking through all of Norway weighed about ~10-16 kg and I don't by any means pack ultralight).
If you only eat food in the cabins and don't carry a tent you could have a reeeaally nice backpack weight though 😀
I get what you mean about it being tough, but we did almost the whole MASSIV as part of our Norge på langs hike in the second half in September which absolutely don't have favourable weather. That combination together with it be veeeery rocky and lots of elevation made it tough. But one month feels a little bit like an exaggeration unless you're untrained and carry 25+ kg (which is totally unnecessary with today's good gear).
But I feel like trails that could count as thru-hikes would be like the E-trails that span the whole Europe, as well as some other long trails like the Camino (if you combine the different ones) and Hexatrek, or CLDT.
But as you say, it's difficult since it doesn't have a set definition 😊
@@Tarahhh 'an absolute slog of a hike with atrocious weather'
Man, you really know how to sell this one ;)
Yes. Same here in France. I wish we could do like Scandinavians. But the truth is, our population is not as 'educated' as we wished. I just did parts of the GR5 in Norte eastern France last week and unfortunately I still see a lot of toilet paper around some spots of the track. I guess these folks believe it will just melt and disappear on the ground with the first rain. Unfortunately, it's not the case. More 'LEAVE NO TRACE' education is necessary! 😢
Saw the same on the GR34 in Brittany and GR223 in Manche. Shame as there were toilets in most villages and elsewhere you could bury or carry out.
Not too uncommon in Sweden either, especially in forests or along popular trails. In particular where people often camp.
There's also Skåneleden in southern Sweden. It's fantastic, 1250km in total, most of it is very well kept and there are some simple shelters along the way. Fly into Copenhagen, come by train to Malmö and you can set off from there.
The West Highland way is the best known in Scotland but there are more challenging ones
More Scottish trails:
The CWT - Cape Wrath trail - 370 km unmarked trail across some very rugged terrain
The East Highland way
The Southern uplands way
The John Muir trail
The 864km Scottish National trail linking trails and running the length of Scotland.
The handy thing is thatlike many Scandinavian countries, wild camping is allowed as long as you follow the Scottish outdoor access code.We also have a bothy network. Free, open refugios They could often be full so take a tent in case
Scotland is a wee country with some impressive walks.
You also have the Skye Trail and the Great Glen Way. Did the West Highland Way last year and had a blast. Was planning on one day visiting my aunt in Inverness and then doing the Great Glen Way and the CWT. You've got a beautiful beautiful country.
@@RoomRar We are lucky. The list of trails is quite large and too many for one post. The website Walk Highlands has the full list.
Great in theory but 80% shit weather and smidges ruin it.
@@akswiff The smidge gets rid of the midge. As it is, Midge season is May to September. April is a good month to go.
Weather? Fair weather hiker?
It isn't non stop rain. Past month had some great hiking weather and a wee bit of rain doesn't hurt anyone.
@@BrokenBackMountains Did the CWT last August. Midges don't really bother me, at the end of the days hike I'm not getting out of my tent anyway. I've even got used to the freaky deer fly, which is far more annoying, for me, than the midge. The weather was pretty intense as well on a few days but I'm not sure I'd have it any other way, looking back. I find the feeling of getting into a dry space, after putting your tent up in heavy rain, beautiful.
In italy, you can actually put a tent, but only in mountains from 20:00 to 8:00 only to sleep, out of parc areas. In this way it wont be considered camping but only "bivacco notturno" and it will be permitted, but as always no fire
I think the NST, Nord Süd Trail deserves a mention: a 2000km + through hike North to South of Germany. It combines some of the best existing trails.
Formally, in Poland there is no ban on pitching tents "in the wild", i.e. outside campsites. In practice, however, the problem with such camping results from the fact that the land always belongs to someone, and the owner has the right to independently decide whether it is admissible to pitch a tent on it.
in germany, wild camping is not prohibited, per se
you are allowed to just walk into a forest and sleep there, but its NOT allowed to:
sleep inside national parks, private property or nature preserves
use tent or tent pegs pegs, damage the ground, damage any trees or tree bark, to be loud
so its prohibited, because there is no way to find any land that no one owns. so you always need to ask for permission
Really unfortunate as the forests here are very beautiful. But it makes sense to have such laws in place when the majority of the land is private in a country this size housing a big population. I'll always just take a trip back home to friends and family back in Canada to scratch my outdoor itch.
For anyone who is interested in the nordic countries there is also a 800 km long trail called Nordkalottruta (Nordkalotleden in Swedish or Kalottireitti in Finnish) which spans through Northern Norway, Sweden and Finland.
In Spain, you can camp from 8pm to 8am in almost everywhere. Some natural parks have their own restriction but it is always free above certain height. Thats because there is a diferent law for camping and spending just one night (which we call ‘pernocta’).
I read that camping wild is totally illegal and a 2500€ euro fine waits for you.
Pernocta can be only in your car/van and as long as no exterior element like tables outside. You definitely cannot do wild camping and personally i have seen people getting a fine for doing so
Thanks for this video. I have an addition though: in France wild camping is known as 'bivouac" and is legal between sunset and sunrise, for 1 night, in a small tent. Except in some National Parks (Vanoise) but the reason I like to hike in the French Alps is the possibility to camp almost anywhere you want.
In Poland, since a few years, there is a national program allowing wild camping in many parts of the National Forest aerial.
'Bivouac' is allowed in the french pyrenees and alps, provided it's a 1 person tent, you set up after sunset and leave at sunrise, and are away from buildings.
Do Not forget the NST in Germany, a newer thru-hike of mire than 3000 km similar to the Appalachian Trail system...
In Poland there are couple of long distance trails, the longest being Główny Szlak Beskidzki (Main Beskidy Trail) going across whole southern part of country. Wildcamping itself wont get you (mostly) in any problems, as long as you are not camping in national parks. Camping in forests is allowed in designated areas... if you want to follow the law. Most of the young people speak english.
I second this. I go wild camping often in the lower Silesia region, in the designated camping zones. Most of the ones I’ve visited are really attractive tourism-wise, and some offer infrastructure, such as roofed shacks and campfire spots. So Poland is alright for wild camping.
Oooh really excited for the recipe video!
Have a look to the Hexatrek 3034 km in France.
Did that one last year- incredible!
I'm in Europe and with old age starting to appreciate travelling more and more. Thanks for this video
Rifugi (singular rifugio) are usually paid for. Bivouac shelters, which are more stripped down, are usually free.
The availability of baguette, rillettes, cheese and cornichon almost everywhere in France is highly underrated.
10:00 I wish you'd mentioned NPL (Norge På Langs), or Norway Lengthwise. About 3000 km and 53km of total elevation gain in ~100 days. It's my dream trip. It goes through a lot of varied terrain and several mountain ranges/plateaus (Hardangervidda, Jotunheimen, Rondane, Trollheimen og Saltfjellet.)
Another interesting "trail" in Germany would be the Limes "trail" (Limesweg/Limeswanderweg).
Basically, you walk all along the former border of the Roman Empire and come across lots of ruins of old military camps and watchtowers from 2000 years ago plus museums centered around ancient Roman life in the region.
Something >500km, if I remember correctly.
Will be doing the Padjelantaleden this year, probably ordering a customized poster afterwards!
🐝Thanks for the great video🌻 Love the europe ways!!!
Brought back memories seeing the baguette :D I hiked through Spain (GR11 east-west and the continued to Santiago) and my breakfast was exactly that.
As Ukrainian, I was very surprised that there are places in the world where wild camping is illegal.
I'm hoping, soon we will be safe enough to attract a lot of tourists to our nice mountains and beaches.
In Hungary you can wild camp, exception is private properties (fence or sign) and protected areas. If you are normal and just setting up a tent for a day, no one will brother you anyway.
small detail to consider in most countries that ban wild camping you are totaly allowed to bivac for example you can sleep in the wood in germany using a tarp but not a tent. leaving your place in a mess tho will get you fined up to 10000€ depending on the location and mess you made. Also open fire in a forest and its vicinity (closer than 100m to the treeline) is forbidden not matter what
This video and the comments section are a hidden gem for european hiking!
Great video! Nice that you give thru hiking in Europe some space on youtube. To be honest hiking is extrem popular here, but more on a weekend basis than as a multi weeks trip. My parents do 20-30km every weekend since i was a little child.
I did some of the hikes you named and I really want to point out the GR20. What a beauty!
Kind regards from Germany.
So useful! Thanks!
Here in Spain laws are awful. We must practice "stealth camping" to avoid autorities; just for enjoying the nature. It's sad af.
In picos de europa national park you can overnight with your tent as long as you're over 1600 m and there is a similar law for Pyrenees but over 2.000 m or something.
@@truepaulesko right, and I love Picos de Europa; but I must drive 2'5 hours to go there, and as you said you just can overnight...and there's no many trees to place the tent comfortably as I like. Scottish laws are more flexible with that and I didn't find trash or any clue about their flexibility is wrong.
Same here in Germany.
I'm sad about it too (I live in Germany), but I can also understand it. Looking at the population density here, you can see why this wouldn't work well for the UK or Germany.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_European_Union#/media/File:Population_density_by_NUTS_3_region_(2017).svg
Spain some more empty areas but also some heavily populated ones, and it is also a hugely popular tourist destination. And when the numbers get too high, the problem isn't just "trash" but wildfire risk, delicate plants being constantly flattened by tents, and human waste (which not everyone is responsible about). I would love to be able to camp freely, but it's more important to me that the environment is protected.
That's horrible. Imagine the government always needing to know that you are sleeping in a registered accomodation. Spending night in nature should be as much of a fundamental human right as spending day in nature.
Not only trails from north to south USA are common, but also many people go from Canada to Argentina in a motorcycle. The entire (longest) continent. It's crazy because it's more common than one would expect.
The Baltic Forest and Coast Trails are also good options. They are easy and a great option for beginners to get into thru hiking.
Walking in Europe is a cultural experience before it is a sporting challenge, because with the exception of Scandinavia, there is no longer any ‘wilderness’: every place has a history. And culture is also about language and food - even in the mountains, you can easily find cheese and other products to buy.
And before Schengen and the Euro, it was much more complicated to travel (not to mention the Iron Curtain).
Hey Oscar, happy to find your channel!
I’m preparing myself to do the GR 10 the same direction as you did -Mediterranean to the Atlantic and I’m wondering now with the more experience that you have if you would have redone the GR 11 again would you have brought the guide in paper?
Awesome video. I would definitely enjoy seeing the Bulgarian trails because they are so beautiful, they are cheap out here, and there are generally good conditions for hiking. I would recommend the E3 part in Bulgaria (Kom - Emine), which is crossing it side to side (650 km) all while on top of the longest mountain in the country. Other very good and extremely beautiful routes are the E4 and E8 parts, which are packed with hills and peaks.
The Pennine Way is what kickstarted my interest in backpacking - I'm American but worked for a company in Manchester for 2 years back in 2018-2020, and taking the train down to the Peak District became a favorite weekend activity when the weather was favorable, and I stumbled on the southern terminus of it and saw some wild campers starting the trek! It brought up old memories of seeing signs about the Superior Hiking Trail when I was a teen in Minnesota, and I got interested again in the people who were walking these super long trails, day after day. A few AT logs on youtube and info gathering later, I've done over a dozen 1-3 night mini trips, and am looking to do a shorter thru-hike for the first time this autumn!
Great video man ! Loved the background aswell, i'm now looking at the Lofoten Crossing with interest. You missed a great thru-hike that was created 2 years ago by french hikers who thru-hiked in the US and decided to create something similar in france ! It's called the Hexatrek and is approx 3000km long goes from northeastern france along every french moutains (vosges, alpes, pyrenees) right near the spanish border.
Highly recommend you to check it out, it's definitely on my bucketlist
btw there's a website by the same name with a lot of info
Such a great trail! I hiked it last year and loved it 😊
Recently found your channel and I like it a lot! I like your style! However I didn't find the video on your tips regarding light weight food :) Did you already publish it? Keep up the good work!
SNP Trail - from Dukla to Devin castle (768km in Slovakia)
Maybe check Croatia Via Adriatica Trail (1100 km) and Croatian Long Distance Trail (CLDT) ( 2200 km) . Mountain ranges, sea, rivers, lakes, 8 national parks and we still have wild animals 😉, bears, wolves, lynxes, boars and all other standard European animals . You want an adventure? Come to Croatia 😊
Actually, in Hungary you can wild camp almost everywhere for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, you must move, at least a few meters.
Of course, there are some places where you are not allowed to go camping, but it is written on a board.
Actually few years ago was introduced “zanocuj w lesie” (sleep in the forest) program in Poland and it lets you sleep in the designated areas, theyre set pretty often, so there should be no problem in finding good spot while hiking. However there are plenty of hikers I know that regularly sleep anywhere they want and didn’t get any ticket. I got once “catched” wild camping and just got asked to leave the camp in an hour with no other consequences but it’s rather very rare.
Nice video, i was wandering recently if there is a minimum length/days to classify a hike a thru-hike?
There are also "refugii" in Romania - unstaffed huts that are free to sleep in, that have some bunks (you need a sleeping bag and mat) and maybe a table. But the same warning applies - it might be full when you arrive, or might be in a bad state because of weather events or people. Usually I carry a tent so I have the option of setting up next to the refugiu, then you also have a place to lock your food overnight.
looks awesome, definitely want to do lofoten at some point
A lot of forest/mountains/moors in the UK have some kind of livestock grazing, typically sheep unless you're in the New Forrest in which case it's horses. Sheep will usually ignore you if you ignore them and don't get too close. You need to be more careful around horses, but so long as you act calm and don't spook them, they're fine to be around. I'd never camp in the same field as cows.
nice, do more about europe cominnity
You mean cumyewknittee?
Came to the video to learn something more before a first long thru-hike which I'm going on this summer. Ended the video with few new routes planned... hahah
Slovakia and Poland have brown bears . In the Tatra Mountains. I didn’t know and went solo hiking there alone in the night through the forest ascending to Rysy Mountain . While live streaming Someone told me , I almost sht my pants and kept singing loudly 3am in the night alone in a dense forest .
Oh believe me, they are not just in the Tatra mountains (in Slovakia at least, don't know about Poland), you can expect them in any forested area. Btw. it's officially not allowed to move about High Tatras at night.
I hiked few years in europe but this year i tried something new and went to himalayas nepal and oh boy its much better overall for me
Did the WHR in 2022 and since it is more or less remote we came up with a food strategy you didn't mention. We just send the food to different campgrounds. Usually they are really friendly and take your package. Maybe give them a call beforehand. Just one tip for Switzerland in particular. You are not allowed to ship something from outside of the country. So we just brought our stuff and send it after we arrived in Bern/Chamonix
you are obviously allowed to send stuff to switzerland, even food. But some stuff has high taxes on it, like cheese. There is usually a maximum allowed before paying taxes, like 1kg of meat or 1l of liquer/booze. After that you have t noay taxes. So sending dried food is perfectly fine...
In northern sweden/norway you really dont need a water filter. You can just fill your bottle from the small rivers. As long as the water is moving, it is clean. It comes from snow melting in the summer
There is also the Via Dinarica, a thru hike that crosses 5 countries in the Balcans! You should check it out :)
I've camped next to so much cow poo haha. Thanks for sharing the thru-hike excitement in Europe! Looking forward to do the GR11 with my dog this summer :)
niceeee definitely visit the website to get some next inspiration. Another good hike on Corse is Mare e monti that goes zigzag from forest inland and coast. I did one part.
There are a lot of sweeping generalizations in this video, which is a bit problematic if you want to be informative. The reality is, lots of things don't just depend on the country, but also the region and how populated an area is. Shepherd dogs, for example, are often not aggressive at all, they're just trained to protect their herd from threats. If you let them figure out you're not a threat, they're generally fine. However, some areas in Europe, especially more remote ones in mountainous areas, might not have dogs that are very well trained, or who just aren't used to humans that much, and they can be dangerous. So the key is to pay attention to local signage and do some research for every area you're hiking through. Another thing: if you want to know about spending the night somewhere in a tent, you should look for 'bivouac' laws. Bivouac means to only spend the night, whereas camping often refers to more long term. Lots of countries allow bivouac under certain circumstances (often only between certain hours and away from houses, etc). And as for English, depending on where you are, people might be near-fluent in certain areas, but not speak a word of English in others. Generally, it's a good idea to know some key phrases and words, even if it's just to create some goodwill, but it certainly isn't true that 'no one will understand English' everywhere. Nordic countries especially are famous for their populations' English proficiency. So, in conclusion, if you want to prepare for certain hikes in Europe, you're better off looking up information that is specific to the countries and regions you will be hiking in/through, rather than looking up stuff about Europe in general.
Note on the language part
I'm a polish guy who studied in the Netherlands. English fluency differs from country to country.
The Netherlands or Sweden are very chill with English. It is rare to find someone who cannot speak it on a communicative level.
In Poland most young people know how to speak English (at least on the basic level). I would assume it is similar in different EU countries.
In most of Italy you are allowed to camp, but just for one night. You can't leave your tent in the same place for to days in a row.
This is in general but it depends on the regions. I have never had any problems while camping in italy, just setup the tent at the sunset and take it down in forst hours of the day.
In Poland Recently there were many allowed camping areas established "Zanocuj w lesie", in some of them you can use gas stove legally, but in general if you're carefull it's unlikely you get fine...
Off on my first proper ling distance walk this year in may
The Cambrian way 300miles across wales ❤
Sehr gutes Video, danke für die Arbeit! Ich bin auf die Rezepte gespannt.
I don't agree. In Poland you cannot camp in national parks, except for designated places, but in the rest of the public forests there are many places you can camp. There is even a governmental app that shows you those places on a decent map. People are encouraged to camp in the woods by the governmental project called "Zanocuj w lesie" ("Spend a night in the forest").
Hi! Nice video. I started following the channel today. If you return to Italy in future, I recommend paths around Mount Adamello in Northern Italy. Very rocky, wild and with several lakes (ex. Aviolo lake) and many grazing animals. 😅
Thanks and the area looks great! I live in Abruzzo, so I will definitely check it out someday!
@@OscarHikes were you at Campo Imperatore during the filming of the video?
the language barrier is very different between young and older people.
meeting a 20 something dude in the bavarian alps and you'll get by with english. meet someone above the age of 50 and even if you speak perfect high-german you won't get through the dialect lmao.
but learning the words for "good morning" "goodbye" and "thanks" in the local language does wonders! and if you want to be extra learn the greeting phrase for the local dialect instead. that's extra points!!
Guys in italy there is path called sentiero italia that goes through every region of Italy, from north to south.
You can hike all the way around the coast of Wales. And there is Offas Dyke
Wild camping is not allowed in Ireland except some national parks and state forests.If you ask the landowner they may let you.
In the National parks you have to be 400 metres from a road, no fires, leave no trace and don't poop near water sources.
As for Long distance paths, there are quite a few. The busiest is the Wicklow way.
In the uk we have bothies that are free to stay mountain houses etc like you describe they are very few tho
With the wild camping ban in central Europe you have to keep in mind that some of these countries are pretty densely populated. And especially in Germany it is quite often that people, ehile wild camping in hunts or tents, don't leave the place in a nice state. Instead some people seem to think a firest is just another word for dump. And for those reasons i can understand why it is banned here in Germany. Please be nice to nature and leave no trace ❤
Yeah - but Denmark has small huts/ property where you can pitch your tent + drinking water. Really nice for longer bike tours.
In Germany there is an website 1NiteTent where someone is willing to house you on their property. Sometimes even with using their facilities.
You could also ask the property owner/farmer if it's alright with him, if nothing is close.
Those who go on a pilgrimage have a network where you can stay with people without paying mostly too. Most people are friendly towards someone from far away, but only the younger generation can speak/understand English.
@@theresabu3000It is crazy to me as a Norwegian to not be able to go out into nature and sleep there. The government always forcing you to book an accomodation or stay in a registered residency every night is insane. It seems like it should be a human right to be able to spend your night in nature.
Hi, can you please direct me to the meal video, can't find it. Thanks!!
You should try Julijana trail in Slovenia. I think you will love it.
Wild camping is legal in Hungary too, except some areas in the natural parks, but you can not go to most of those areas anyway, dayhikers are also banned to enter.
Hi @OscarHikes , I love your videos! Where did you get the overview maps of the through hikes?
Hey! This won't really help, but I made it all myself using ArcGIS software.
Hey! This won't really help, but I made it all myself using ArcGIS software.
maybe it's worth looking for pilgramage routes, not just the camino de santiago. they are propably a little crowded in summer time, but there are usually well-maintained. also there are many routes connecting one country with the camino de santiago, so that would make for quite a long thru-hike
In Italy you will always pay in a rifugio,and they usually have a restaurant so you can eat. Whereas if you want to sleep for free and cook for yourself what you have to look for Is a bivacco. I think It can be translated into english as bivuac
3:45 thats not the case here in Norway. Freeze dried food is available pretty much everywhere. Hiking and camping is a huge part of the culture here. 🇳🇴🇸🇯
The GR7 is the best hidden thru-hike in France. It's the water divide trail.
What about the "green areas" on the map? I mean, I'm from Hungary, and I know, that here wild camping is pretty much allowed while you stay in one place for less than 24h.
And one thing that I want to mention, we have a well maintained and pretty long train here, called "Országos Kék Túra" aka Hungary's National Blue Trail, that I'd recommend for everyone, even if you don't want to spend the night in the wilderness :)
Poland allows wild camping in very many locations maintained by the National Forestry Department -- in fact, they kind of encourage it.