UKC

I'm changing jobs at the end of April and have a week (max. 9 days) to have a little break. I'd ideally like a destination with:

Multiday hiking, with summit days, either camping or staying in refuges
No car hire required
Reliable weather, but a day or two of rain/snow is no problem
Beautiful scenery
Interesting food/culture/history/wildlife is a bonus

I've thought of lots of places in Europe; Chamonix, Montenegro, Pyrenees, Gran Sasso, High Atlas but I think April might be too early, with snow making progress difficult and many refuges not open yet. Am I wrong? Northern Greece looks good, but is usually very rainy then.

I'd also be happy to go further afield, however it looks like the rainy season in Rwenzori and a week is quite tight to fit a Nepal trek in. The Caucasus will have similar early season impracticalities to the Alps and I think it might be a tight turnaround for organising a visit to Iran.

Absolutely any ideas welcomed, off the beaten track preferred. At the moment I'm thinking it might be Skye or the West coast of Ireland but something more exotic would be nice!

Thanks for any advice

In reply to jonathandavey: i posted this on the other thread, which could also give you plenty of ideas https://www.lonelyplanet.com/europe/travel-tips-and-articles/the-via-dinari...

 

 

In reply to jonathandavey:

Certainly the Pyrenees will still have a lot of snow throughout April. The higher parts are often still snowy right through June and sometimes later, and this winter has been one of the snowier ones, so unless you're keen on snowshoeing it may not be the top choice.

In reply to jonathandavey:

How about Wadi Rum in Jordan?

No car hire required (taxi pick up/drop off from Amman), scenery, culture, summits incl. scrambling, I'd guess very solid (maybe a bit hot already) weather that time of year...and a reasonably short flight.

In reply to jonathandavey:

Bothy trip to Scotland?

In reply to rpc:

Thanks for the suggestion, I'd always thought of it as a climbing destination rather than walking/scrambling. I'll look into it!

In reply to jonathandavey:

Consider the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain. Weather should be pretty good. The Pyrenees will be heavily covered on practically all passes. Tenerife would be another option..Hard to beat the Cape Wrath trail though..

In reply to jonathandavey:

A few thoughts:

-The Majorca Gr221 is nice and April would be a good time to go for weather. We did it last year (in late February though) and just took buses from Palma to the start and from the end. We wild camped but most people stay in accomodation in small towns or there are a few refuges. Cicerone have a good guide. 

-There is a long distance path in Crete, which would take longer than 9 days but you could do a section with public transport from one of the airports. Some good mountain trails and coastal sections. Again April is a good time of year and Cicerone have a guide.

-In the UK, the Cape Wrath trail would be good and a section of the South West Coast path in Cornwall also.

Anyway lots of options and I have you find a good hike!

 

Bian