UKC

After completing the TMB this summer I am looking for the next European long-distance path.

I am considering the Walker's or the Classic Haute Route (or a mix of them both), also the GR20 (Corsica), parts of the Camino and even the West Highland Way.

Anyone out there have thoughts on any of these routes? Or even something completely different?

Edit to add that I will have roughly 14 days to play with.

this might give you some ideas for a walk in France

https://www.ffrandonnee.fr/randonner/sentiers/decouvrir-les-itineraires-de-...

Depending on time of year I'd suggest looking at the Pyrenees, eg part of the GR10, GR11, the Haute Route de Pyrénées or a combination or all 3.

I'll be interested in replies - I'm looking for something similar. Anyone any thoughts on the GR54 (Ecrins)?

Have a look at Alta Via 1 or 2 around the Aosta Valley.

I ran parts of both on a failed attempt at the Tor des Geants in September and thought they were quite spectacular.

I walked the Camino Frances this year, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and would commend it.

A young friend of mine has just walked the Pyrenees, west to east and it sounds amazing, and I have been watching the Portillo program where he walks parts of it, and that looks ace.

Also there is a long distance mountain path across Bulgaria which has been mentioned to me and that sounds interesting, a few hundred kilometers, and Bulgaria is a very interesting country, so that could be an idea.

Thanks for the link, Doug - I'll delve into that lot asap!

I'd not thought of the Pyrénées, even though I've walked a fair bit there previously. I'll take a look at your recommendations.

Many thanks

Thanks Tim, I'll take a look at that area. I hadn't thought of Italy as a destination.

Many thanks, I'll take a look at each of these suggestions - Bulgaria DOES indeed sound interesting!

Where did you start and finish the Camino Frances?

From St Jean Pied a Port to Santiago, which I finished early July, then returned in August with my Wife to walk Santiago to Finisterre and then Muxia.

The whole walk is superb, but to be honest. If time is a constraint, I would skip the last 120 km to be able to walk more of the earlier sections. There is also an independent camono called the Lebaningo or something, with a separate compostella, which starts near Gijon, and crosses the Picos, if you wish, and then joins the Frances, and that looks of interest.

Sorry, just noted your 14 days.

I would suggest looking into the Lebaninblgo, to give some mountainous walking, then joining the Frances, so you can experience the Camino of the popular imagination.

I have done both the Haute Route and the GR20. I would say the latter was probably easier overall despite having some challenging earlier stages. The GR20 is also a lot cheaper. I did the Haute route last year and it is very popular in the summer months where you have to get in very early to book the mountain huts on your required dates. While most stages that ended in a town had several options for accommodation there were some higher up bottlenecks that require you to book the instant they become available. The Haute Route is probably more dramatic in terms of the backdrop of glaciers and granite spires but the GR20 is still a beautiful walk.

Drop me a PM and I can send you over my gpx logs and planning notes for the Haute Route.

Some of the more recently created routes look interesting....along the Carpathians? Albania?

The GR20 is excellent, we did it in 12 days walking in 2005 with camping gear. My first multi-day walk.

I'd recommend having a look at Norway, I did ~300km this summer and would highly recommend it. Easy options to either stay in huts or camp or mix and match.

I ended up doing a similar route to this but started in Rjukan and finished in Lom.

https://ut.no/turforslag/1115677/signatur-massiv-langrute-fra-sota-ster-til...

Lots of other options to explore of varying lengths and generally very well marked routes.

https://ut.no/kart

I would recommend the Alta Via 1 in the Dolomites which was amazing and there are multiple variations, Alta Via 2, 3 etc…

Also the Tour de Jungfrau in the Bernese Oberland, superb! 

Sticking with the location, search 'escape lines', it's the routes many used to escape the nazis over the hills.

Going through the same process for next year, the shortlist for 10-14 days:

Peaks of the Balkans (postponed from last year) - Montenegro/Albania/Kosovo

GR52/Grande Traversée du Mercantour - France/Italy Maritime Alps

Tour of the Vanoise - France (not the shorter but more well known Glacier tour)

GR54 Tour of the Ecrins - France

Camino Primitivo - Spain (maybe extend by starting on the Camino San Salvador)

A big factor for me is the ability to camp or bivouac, any mix of campsite/wild, so favourite at present is the Mercantour. 

Many thanks - you did great to complete the full Camino, good effort!

Brilliant, thanks again

Having spent a small fortune in Switzerland while walking the TMB, I assumed the GR20 would be cheaper.

I will be camping and bivouacing rather than using huts, so the costs will be greatly reduced as a result.

Thanks for the comparisons, I'll PM you now... cheers

Crikey - I really didn't give any thought to the Scandinavian countries. Norway looks like it might need some consideration. Thanks 

I saw the Dolomtie AVs yesterday - they popped up when I was looking for another suggestion. They do look interesting, I'm heading that way next summer to do some walking with my wife, but not a LDP.

Thanks

I'll check out the Tour de Jungfau

Your brief is pretty much the same as mine. Another factor is the ability to fly to a location from Bristol (although that's not a game changer). Or somewhere we can get a atrain to.

I'll take a more in-depth look at your shortlist later.

Thanks

I would recommend the Pyrenees. The high level walking is excellent, quiet and there are loads of options. A combination of the. HR and GRs would be perfect. Some excellent wild country

https://www.thehikinglife.com/2018/07/a-quick-dirty-guide-to-the-pyrenean-h...

I did part of the Alta Via Delle Adamello this summer, but altered the route slightly to make it a circuit of the range, rather than a North/South crossing. I thought it was quite spectacular, quiet, and just an utterly joyus experience. 

It's perhaps a little shorter than what you are looking for, but you could easily extend. Here is the write up of my trip, and if you email me I'm happy to give more information on the exact route and the area in general  

https://oscaroutdoors.com/2024/08/13/adamello-circuit/

We did the TMB 2 years ago in June in great weather, and the Southern 3/4 of the GR20 in bad weather in September this year (the Monte Count section was effectively closed because of snow, and we were ill too). We used an agent to pre book huts (TMB) and mostly tents outside huts on the GR20, with baggage transfer where possible on both. We found the GR20 considerably tougher, probably because of the bad weather and camping - huts are small and most have lots of pop up Decathlon festival type tents attached to wooden platforms to provide a level perch. The GR20 zone does not permit wild camping, there was only limited space for walkers bringing their own tents to hut locations and even in early September most hut locations were full, so quite a few teams we met were having difficulty finding places to stay or using valley based diversions - prebooking sites appeared difficult, even with good French, and I'm not sure GR20 huts/staying in their tents was much cheaper than Switzerland. Having said that the GR20 route is fantastic with long sections of  grade half scrambling while the TMB is effectively a well made path all the way.

Sounds like they have changed things a bit on the GR20 since I did it ten plus years ago. I stayed in huts on the first two nights as it was raining and to be honest it was awful in terms of an overheated, overcrowded room full of snoring farty blokes, did not sleep at all. Thankfully the weather improved after that and I slept outside on a sleeping mat and was rewarded with both amazing night skies and a good nights sleep. This was in July so temperatures were not too cold at night. I was up and on the trail by about 7am most days and done by lunchtime thus avoiding the worse of the midday heat. Despite bivvying the hut wardens let me buy dinner which in fairness was pretty reasonably priced given that you got a huge bowl of food, half a stick of bread and a bottle of wine. 

I've not done either but they'd be worth checking out - Adlerweg and Lechtaler Hohenweg, both in Austria. LH is 8-10 days, Adlerweg is doable as 2x 2 week sections apparently.  It has a cicerone guidebook.

http://www.lechtaler-hoehenweg.at/

If you're tempted by any of the Camino routes I would also recommend looking at the Tuscany section of the Via Francigena. Last summer I walked (using hostels rather than camping) from Altopascio to Bolsena, adding in some detours. Perfect for two weeks. Yes you've got gravel roads/tracks in places, but the Tuscan hills are just beautiful and make for fantastic long distance walking. Plenty of interest at the end of each day usually staying in a medieval hill village/town, and even in the very touristy Siena the walk out, early in the morning with mist in the valleys, is just sublime.

Some great-looking suggestions in this thread. Whatever you do decide, I'm sure you'll have a brilliant couple of weeks. Here are some informative/inspiring articles that might help you choose:

Alta Via 1:  https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/destinations/walking_the_alta_via_1_...

Alta Via 2:

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/destinations/how_to_hike_the_gran_pa...

GR11:

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/destinations/spanish_pyrenees_how_to...

HRP:

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/destinations/how_to_hike_the_haute_r...

GR10:

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/destinations/gr10_-_walk_the_pyrenee...