European long distance walks.

stoneill

Long distance routes:

I've just found out that there are several European long distance routes.
http://www.era-ewv-ferp.com/index.php?page_id=29

Has anybody any experience of walking one of these routes - what preparation did you do, how long did it take - how many pairs of boots did you go through.

burren

European countries, especially The Netherlands, Belgium, France and Spain, have a dense network of long distance walking routes. The European E-routes just link some of these national routes together to create some nice cross European routes. However there is no need to stick to these E-routes. An alternative approach could be to first plan the places, regions you'd like to walk and then be creative and pick the GR paths that best suit your plans. Long distance walking is popular in Europe and you will find loads of information on all long distance paths on the internet. By far the most popular long distance routes in Europe are the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostella.

If you plan on doing a complete E-route you have to think of at least a few months walking. Some of these routes will take a year or longer. Few people however will complete such a route in one go. Most walkers aiming at completing a long distance footpath will do so in stages of a few weeks each year. Back when I lived in the Netherlands I often went for weekend walks on the Dutch and Belgian long distance trails I walked a lot of stretches of many different trails, but I never fully completed a single one. Looking at the map of E-walks I estimate I completed roughly two third of the Dutch part of E2, E9 and E11. In the Pyrenees I completed about two-third of both the GR10 and GR11 (and also of the HRP which is not waymarked) during several long summer waling holidays. If you're keen on mountain walking I can highly recommend these Pyrenean coast-to-coast walks.

For preparation, if you’re not used to long day walks with a heavy pack, I'd recommend to start with long weekend treks here in Ireland There is a fair amount of Irish long distance trails to choose from (although in general they are much more along paved roads than their European counterparts).

Apart from physical fitness the most important part of your preparation will be your gear. Think of a pair of solid walking boots, a decent backpack and comfortable adequate clothing for all weather. Camping gear will significantly add to the weight of your backpack, but gives you a lot more flexibility. Maps and guidebooks (apart from those for your first stretch) you best buy en-route.

A GPS (although not essential) may be of great help. Most long distance paths have downloadable GPS trails on sites like Wikiloc. Waymarks are usually good, but you may encounter black spots where the waymarks are unclear or missing (think of tree felling). Also in open terrain, in combination with bad visibility, it is surprisingly easy to miss out waymarks and get lost.