5 of the Best Walks in Europe

... at least the ones I would like to try.

St Magdalena
Photo by gptwisted on Flickr

Italy- Alpe di Siusi in the Dolomites between Val di Fassa and Val Gardena (many day hikes)

Alpine Pass Route
Photo by Clare and Ben on Flickr

Switzerland- Alpine Pass Route from Sargans to Montreux (350km/220 miles)

Hardanger, Norway
Photo by Skygge on Flickr

Norway- Hardanger Plateau DNT Trail from peak to fjord (5-7 day hike)

West Highland Way
Photo by Jawcey on Flickr

Scotland- West Highland Way from Milngavie to Fort William (152km/95 miles)

Coast to Coast Walk
Photo by Slainte74 on Flickr

England- Coast to Coast Walk (C2C) from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay (304km/190 miles)

There are also 11 European long distance paths maintained by the European Ramblers Association. Most of those trails are made up of several GR paths, especially in France, Belgium and Spain.

If you have other recommendations, please share them in the comments.

Related posts:
Tails from Trails: The Big Walk is about one couple's walk from Spain to Turkey.
Tails from Trails: Britain's End to End Walk about a man's walk from Land's End in England to John o'Groats in Scotland

Tales from Trails: Britain's End to End Walk

Photo by angryhaggis on Flickr

One site that has been taking up way too much of my time is Hiking Blogs, a directory of sorts for, well, hiking blogs. The site has a system for rating the quality of the blogs listed, and the current top 20 blogs can be found under the Top 20 category. I've been going through several of the blogs, starting with ones focusing on hiking in the United Kingdom.

Although it technically isn't a blog, one of the websites that caught my interest is My Long Walk, about Daryl May's experience hiking from Land's End to John o'Groats in Britain. A 63 year old American, Mr. May grew up in Britain, and this was a chance for him to see how it had changed since his youth. He shares his thoughts in 56 journal entries, one for each day of his walk.

Another good site about the End to End walk is Walking Land's End to John o'Groats with Mark Moxon. It includes a journal of the experience as well as tips and facts about the walk. For book lovers, When I Walk, I Bounce - Walking from Land's End to John o'Groats by Mark Moxon, was published this year.

Friday Photo Post: Castles of Scotland

Dunnottar Castle
by MJ Mac on Flickr

Bothwell Castle
by tama67scotland on Flickr

Whenever I think about traveling somewhere, I love to look at pictures on Flickr. It's like going through a beautiful coffee table book on travel, full of possibilities and inspiration.

5 Sites to Help You Plan a Trip to Scotland

Photograph by zombizi on Flickr

As we consider a trip to Scotland, I've been visiting many websites looking for information. The ones I've found the most useful are:

1. Visit Scotland-The national tourism site has many suggestions for things to see and do.

2. Undiscovered Scotland-One of my favorite travel guides for Scotland, I like to read through all the categories, especially ancient monuments, castles, and walking.

3. The Internet Guide to Scotland-A comprehensive guide to visiting Scotland with practical details regarding sightseeing, outdoor activities, accommodations and transportation.

4. Historic Scotland- Information about the properties cared for by Historic Scotland, as well as Scotland's "listed buildings" and "scheduled ancient monuments". This site contains practical information for visiting the different properties.

5. Trip Advisor- The forum for Scotland is as friendly and helpful as one that I used extensively for our trip to Ireland. Before posting a question, be sure to search the archives. It is possible that someone else has already asked and received answers to the same question. By reading the archives, you can also find new travel ideas. I always look for off the beaten path suggestions from locals or travelers who have recently returned from the place we are going to.

Now I just need to narrow down all the options available to us and create a fantastic list of things to do. That's all. No problem. We just need to plan a two year trip.

The Best Castles in Scotland

Doug and I might be going to Scotland next year. I'm very excited, even as I cringe at the exchange rate. I would like to visit some castles while we are there, but I have to decide which ones. What are the best castles in Scotland? Personal opinions are so subjective, but other than Edinburgh and Stirling, here are some of the castles that intrigue me:

Balvaird Castle by pinkyogamuffin on Flickr

1. Balvaird Castle- (near Perth)
The castle was built in 1500 by Sir Andrew Murray. You can walk the fields around the castle and visit the ruins in the courtyard anytime. The tower house is open on a limited basis, though, so you need to call ahead to plan your visit.

Bothwell Castle by dobienet on Flickr

2. Bothwell Castle- (near Glasgow)
Started in the 13th century by Walter of Moray but finished by the Earls of Douglas around 1400, Bothwell has a history of being captured by the English only to be retaken by the Scottish. Another nearby castle to visit is Craignethan.

Caerlaverock Castle by David A G Wilson on Flickr

3. Caerlaverock Castle- (near Dumfries)
Originally built in the 13th century, what you see today was mostly built in the 15th century. The ruins are what was left after an army of Covenanters attacked the castle in 1640.

Dirleton Castle by Laura A on Flickr

4. Dirleton Castle- (near Edinburgh)
Originally built in the late 1200's by John De Vaux, rebuilt in the 1300's by the Halyburton family and added to in the 1500's by the Ruthven family. The castle was attacked by Oliver Cromwell in 1651 and left in ruins. Tantallon Castle is also nearby.

Doune Castle by Ben Shepherd on Flickr

5. Doune Castle- (near Stirling)
This 14th century castle is well known as a movie location for Monty Python and the Holy Grail. During the 15th century, the castle became a royal retreat under King James I. If you go, be sure to borrow coconut shells from the castle's reception desk.

*Thank you to Marilyn Terrell from Intelligent Travel for sharing a tip about Monty Python Day at Doune Castle.

Dunnottar Castle by pinkygreene on Flickr

6. Dunnottar Castle- (near Aberdeen)
In 1652, the castle protected the Scottish Crown Jewels and personal papers of the King. When the castle was surrendered to Cromwell's army after an eight month siege, the jewels and papers were missing, having been smuggled out and hidden under the floor of a nearby church until the restoration of the monarchy.

Elcho Castle from Europe A La Carte Blog

7. Elcho Castle- (near Perth)
Built around 1570, this is the newest castle on my list. The land itself has been owned by the Wemyss family since 1468 and is now looked after by Historic Scotland. The design of the castle includes 3 spiral staircases used to access individual chambers. The ruins are well enough preserved that you can visualize what it must have looked like while it was still in use.
Closed November 1-April 1.
Huntingtower and Lochleven Castles are also nearby. Lochleven is the castle where Mary, Queen of Scots was imprisoned and forced to abdicate.


Most of my information came from two great resources: Historic Scotland and Undiscovered Scotland. If you have any suggestions of must see castles in Scotland, please add them to the comments section.

Related post: Friday Photo Post: Castles of Scotland

From other Travel Blogs...

Some good travel articles to check out from this past week:

Dave at Go Backpacking explains CouchSurfing and shares his first experience as a host, then follows up with his thoughts and some CouchSurfing tips.

If you are traveling solo, Smarter Travel has a series of great articles including planning a solo trip, resources for solo travelers, and safety tips for solo travelers. Check out the site for a few others, too.

For tips on traveling in large groups, The Ecua Traveler has some good ideas.

Backpack Planet has some great tips for travelers to make things easier for family back home. There is also an article about free audio/video language phrase books for those of you who need help speaking a different language.

Going to Scotland? Viator shares possible itineraries for Edinburgh.

Or, if your destination is California, The New York Times has a good article on hiking the hills above the wineries in Napa Valley.

For even more articles, check out the section marked From Other Blogs in my sidebar.

*the picture above is a 200 year old oak tree that was recently cut down in the name of progress, I mean road improvements. The composition with the stop sign was deliberate, of course. I wish I had been there when they cut it down so I could have gotten a picture of that.