Help planning trip in Europe next summer

[Michael Cheifetz]

Hi all!

Need some advice to help plan a trip for me and my buddies for next summer (somewhere around June ~ Oct 2025).

Here is what we are looking for:

1) We are 5 guys in very good physical shape… but no mountain experience. So looking for something that can be intense but not technical.
2) We will have about 5~8 days of actual hiking
3) Due to time constraints and logistics we are only considering hiking in Europe/UK
4) We DO NOT want to camp out (tents etc) -> so need something that has infrastructure around it (like huts, albergues , refugio , bothy etc…) for ALL the nights /

I am aware that the various Caminos in Spain and Portugal fit this bill… trying to find out what other options there are out there.

Thanks

Mike

[Paul Wagner]

Part of the Tour de Mont Blanc?

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Dolomites in Italy?  Coast to Coast UK (half way)?   Have fun!

[Jack B]

This book is great for planning hut treks in the Alps.

[David Thomas]

Manfred and his 16-y-o daughter did GR-20 traversing the spine of Corsica in 2018 and wrote it up on BPL.

Traversing Corsica on the GR-20 – Another Father-Daughter Adventure – Backpacking Light

Being Manfred, he skipped every other refuge.  They camped out, but you could book stays in the refuges with a bed inside the refuge, (or rent a tent and mattress from them), and reserve a hot meal and breakfast at each stop, keeping your weight (and packed gear) way down.

If you’re hoping for a big work out, you could similarly stop at every second (or third?) refuge and if you want a lot of miles that week, potentially bounce it – do a round trip and vary the refuges you stay at going each direction.

Google “GR hiking routes in Europe” for other such routes.

[Geoff Caplan]

The path and hut network in the Western Alps can’t be beat.

You’ll have the friendliest experience in Italy. The huts can be a bit tatty but the people are warm. Provided you’ve got some basic navigation, the early stages of the Via Alpina trail aren’t technical and take you through some wonderful terrain. This path is a bit less well known and crowded than routes like the Tour de Mont Blanc. But avoid Italy in August at all costs – the heat is appalling and the whole country is on holiday at once. It’s bedlam. I like the shoulder season – mid-Sept onwards. Less crowding, and the weather is often stable.

For a completely different experience consider a couple of sections of the South West Coastal path in England. Terrific cliff scenery, idyllic beaches, charming villages, ancient pubs, high quality eateries, and everyone speaks English! I used to live beside the path in Devon, and very rarely saw overseas visitors. It’s a neglected gem. But you do have to be fit – it’s a brutal switchback of short, steep climbs and descents. Not to be under-estimated.

https://www.southwestcoastpath.org.uk/

[Lori N]

I’m a big fan of hiking hut to hut in the Italian Dolomites.  Check out a website “In a Far Away Land” for great guides/descriptions of various hike in the Dolomites.  You can follow one of the suggested hikes, or tailor your own. Early season is a great time to hike, before it gets hot or crowded.

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