30/08/2026
Europe’s best beginner long-distance trails 👇
Which one would you choose for your first Thru-Hiking Community trail? 💡
Hadrian’s Wall Path 🏴
↔️ ~135 km
📅 ~7 days
🏛️ A beginner-friendly coast-to-coast journey across northern England, following the remains of Hadrian’s Wall through countryside, historic sites and small villages.
West Highland Way 🏴
↔️ ~154 km
📅 ~7 days
🏔️ One of the best introductions to long-distance hiking, crossing Scotland from Milngavie to Fort William with great waymarking, plenty of accommodation / camp 🏕️ options.
Mullerthal Trail 🇱🇺
↔️ ~112 km
📅 ~6 days
🌲 A surprisingly adventurous first long-distance hike through Luxembourg’s “Little Switzerland,” with forests, sandstone formations, gorges and perfect trails.
Tour du Mont Fallère 🇮🇹
↔️ ~35 km
📅 ~3 days
🏡 A perfect first Alpine hut-to-hut adventure in Italy’s Aosta Valley, with short stages, mountain refuges and views.
Di**le Way 🇮🇪
↔️ ~179 km
📅 ~9 days
🌊 A beautiful circuit around Ireland’s Di**le Peninsula, combining beaches, green countryside, mountains and welcoming villages along the coast.
L**hweg 🇦🇹🇩🇪
↔️ ~125 km
📅 ~9 days
🏔️ A relatively gentle journey through the Alps following the wild L**h River from its source near Formarinsee in Austria towards Füssen in Germany.
Fishermen’s Trail 🇵🇹
↔️ ~226 km
📅 ~13 days
🌊 A spectacular coastal trail through southern Portugal, with easy navigation, villages and sea views. The sandy sections make it tougher than it looks!
Cumbria Way 🏴
↔️ ~112 km
📅 ~6 days
⛰️ A beautiful introduction to hiking through the Lake District, following valleys, lakes and relatively accessible mountain terrain from Ulverston to Carlisle.
Malerweg 🇩🇪
↔️ ~116 km
📅 ~8 days
🌲 One of Germany’s most scenic long-distance trails through the sandstone towers and forests of Saxon Switzerland on well-marked trails.
Camí de Ronda 🇪🇸
↔️ ~140 km
📅 ~7 to 10 days
🌊 A Mediterranean coastal adventure along the Costa Brava, with options to loop through Gerona.
Drop any suggestions for beginner long-distance hikers here 👇
Happy trails!
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🗺️ credit: Komoot
18/08/2026
10 unknown island trails 👇
Some of the best island trails in the world! How many of these Thru-Hiking Community trails do you already know? 🤓
GR132 La Gomera 🇪🇸
↔️ ~130 km
📅 ~7 to 8 days
🌴 A demanding circuit around La Gomera through deep barrancos, remote villages, volcanic landscapes and wild coastline.
GR R2 Réunion 🇷🇪
↔️ ~130 km
📅 ~10 to 12 days
🌋 A spectacular traverse across Réunion Island through volcanic landscapes, tropical forests, remote cirques and high mountains.
Arran Coastal Way 🏴
↔️ ~107 km
📅 ~6 to 8 days
🌊 A coastal circuit around Scotland’s Isle of Arran, with beaches, cliffs, mountains and small seaside villages.
GR131 La Palma 🇪🇸
↔️ ~87 km
📅 ~4 to 5 days
🌋 A spectacular high-level traverse across La Palma, following volcanic ridges and climbing to the island’s highest mountains.
Arctic Circle Trail 🇬🇱
↔️ ~160 km
📅 ~8 to 10 days
🏕️ One of Europe’s wildest thru-hikes, crossing the Greenland wilderness from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut.
GR01 Santa Maria 🇵🇹
↔️ ~80 km
📅 ~4 to 5 days
🌊 A wild circuit around Santa Maria in the Azores, combining dramatic coastline, green hills, tiny villages and volcanic landscapes.
Andros Route 🇬🇷
↔️ ~100 km
📅 ~6 to 8 days
🌊 A beautiful traverse across the Greek island of Andros along ancient stone paths, through mountain landscapes, villages and green valleys.
Stockholm Archipelago Trail 🇸🇪
↔️ ~270 km
📅 ~20 stages
⛴️ A unique island-hopping trail across 20 islands in the Stockholm Archipelago, connected by ferries and surrounded by the Baltic Sea.
GR223 Camí de Cavalls 🇪🇸
↔️ ~186 km
📅 ~7 to 10 days
🌊 A historic trail around the entire coastline of Menorca, linking hidden coves, beaches, cliffs, forests and old watchtowers.
Cammino Minerario di Santa Barbara 🇮🇹
↔️ ~500 km
📅 ~30 days
⛏️ A unique long-distance circuit through southwest Sardinia, following old mining paths between mountains, abandoned mines, villages and the Mediterranean coast.
Happy trails!
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🗺️ credit: Komoot
03/08/2026
GR1 Madeira Crossing 🇵🇹 130 km ~ 80 mi | 7 Days (Variation) | thru-hike | all info 👇
The GR1 Madeira Crossing is one of Europe’s most dramatic volcanic traverses and one of the most beautiful Thru-Hiking Community trails in the world 💚 Expect steep climbs, exposed levadas, dark tunnels and incredible mountain and coastal scenery.
Traditionally, hikers followed the route from Porto Moniz to Caniçal. However, the famous PR1 ridge is now strictly one-way from East to West: Pico do Areeiro → Pico Ruivo. To complete the crossing legally and continuously, future hikers should therefore walk from Caniçal to Porto Moniz 💡
Below are my original West-to-East stages, including detours around closures on PR1.3 and PR10. You can reverse them to plan an East-to-West crossing.
You can camp at official designated campsites 🏕️ with permits booked through SIMplifica, or stay in guesthouses and hotels along the route.
Recommended for experienced hikers looking for a wild and challenging island crossing 💚
Stages 👇
1️⃣ Porto Moniz - Fanal Forest | 15.3 km / 9.5 mi
2️⃣ Fanal Forest - Chão dos Louros | 30.6 km / 19 mi
3️⃣ Chão dos Louros - Boaventura (coastal detour around PR1.3) | 20.1 km / 12.5 mi
4️⃣ Boaventura - Ilha (via Caminho da Entrosa) | 15 km / 9.3 mi
5️⃣ Ilha - Teixeira / Pico Ruivo | 12.9 km / 8 mi
6️⃣ Teixeira - Terreiros (via PR1 and detour around PR10) | 15.8 km / 9.8 mi
7️⃣ Terreiros - Caniçal | 27.4 km / 17 mi
Tips for hiking in Madeira 👇
🔹Check official IFCN trail alerts before every stage.
🔹 Book camping permits through SIMplifica.
🔹 No Pico Ruivo camping permit? Stay at the Achada do Teixeira Mountain Spot Lodge, 2.8 km from the summit via PR1.2.
🔹 Bring a proper headlamp for the narrow and completely dark tunnels.
🎒 Featuring the Osprey® Europe Eja Pro -> ultralight pack
🤝 Together with Louise | Irish Girl Explores ☘️
💚 Join the Thru-Hiking Community community
📍 GR1 Madeira Crossing (Variation) | Portugal 🇵🇹
🏃♂️ Long-distance, thru-hike
🥾 130 km / 80 miles
📅 7 days
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