Trekking In Spain

Tackle the rugged Pyrenees, Picos de Europa or Sierra Nevada, or tread history along the epic Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail, Europe's most famous hike. Or find yourself sampling Spain's diverse natural and cultural beauty in misty Galicia, the forgotten mountains of the Basque Country, and Alpujarran Muslim villages. From gentle coastal rambles to multi-day scrambles, this guide has hikes for every ability level throughout Spain, as well as Mallorca and Andorra.

This guidebook offers a selection of 38 routes from simple day walks, high mountain scrambles to very demanding multi-day treks in the striking Sierra Nevada, the highest mountain range in mainland Spain. Easily accessible from Granada and Malaga, it is a world of soaring, snow-clad peaks and deep valleys, far removed from the crowded beaches of the Costa del Sol just two hours away. The routes are spread across the national park, with attractive towns and villages such as Trevelez, Lanjaron, Hoya de la Mora and Cumbres Verdes serving as potential bases for a walking holiday. From more leisurely outings in the Cumbres Verde area to ascents of mainland Spain's highest summit, Mulhacen, there are routes to suit a range of abilities, although most require a reasonable degree of fitness, navigational skill and experience of high mountain terrain. Whilst some of the routes are day or half-day walks, others take advantage of the region's network of mountain shelters or offer an opportunity to wild camp. Also included are three longer traverses: 'Los Tres Picos' (the Spanish Three Peaks - Veleta, Mulhacen and Alcazaba), 'Los Tres Miles' Integral (a multi-day trek covering all the major 3000m peaks in the range) and an overview of the 302km Sulayr GR240. The walks can be enjoyed most of the year, however conditions may prove too hot at the peak of summer and extra care and equipment will be required in snow or ice: the descriptions assume summer conditions, but include additional notes for winter walking. The guide also includes advice on transport, bases and safety, a tick-list of the 3000m peaks and a Spanish-English glossary.

Aimed at both overnight trekkers and day hikers, this new book emphasizes Spain's high-quality paths and excellent amenities for hikers and includes useful maps and full details on the most beautiful and unspoiled areas of Spain--Andalucia, Castille, the high Pyrenees, Picos de Europa, and Mallorca.

This edition has been expanded and updated and features new walks from the Pyrenees to Andalucia, including the famous Camino de Santiago pilgrim route.

16 treks and 10 climbing peaks. Top-class cartography and strip maps pinpoint every route. The Pyrenees, Picos de Europa, and Cordillera Cantabrica.

The GR-141, La Gran Senda de Ronda, is an averagely challenging circular hiking trail of 110 kilometres divided into six stages, beginning and ending in the beautiful mountain town of Ronda in southern Spain. The trail can comfortably be walked from village to village so there's no need to carry camping gear. GR is short for Gran Recorrido or 'long distance footpath'. The GR-141 was created and waymarked just 10 years ago is still relatively unknown, unlike the Camino de Santiago further north. So this is the time to hike the trail!The trail passes through some of the most spectacular mountain terrain in Andalucía following a mixture of footpaths and remote forestry tracks. Highlights include visiting Ronda, one of Europe's most spectacular towns, riverside walking beside the beautiful Genal and Guadiaro rivers and the stunning gorge of Colmenar where you can observe a vulture colony at close quarters. The trail threads its way through the chestnut forests of the Genal valley and the ancient cork oak forests of the Parque Natural de Los Alcornocales. This is one of the few GR trails that can be comfortably covered in a week's holiday and the walk's start and end point at Ronda is easily reached by road and by rail from all major airports in southern Spain. Each of the six legs can be comfortably tackled in a day of walking whilst the two longer, more challenging initial stages can be divided if you prefer to cover less distance. The route follows a mixture of footpaths, farm tracks and drovers' routes with just a few short sections of tarmac road. The Gran Senda is waymarked with signboards at the beginning of each stage that detail the distance and estimated timings along with an overview map. Guy Hunter-Watts is Andalucía's best known writer of walking guides. His other books include Walking in Andalucía, Coastal Walks in Andalucía, Trekking the GR7, The Andalucían Coast to Coast Walk and The Mountains of Ronda and Grazalema. The book includes descriptions of each village through which the trail passes with the author's recommendations for the best places to stay. All the villages through which the trail passes have their own charm and are delightfully unspoiled. GPX tracks of all stages are available FOC from the author.

The GR1 (Sendero Historico) is a long traverse of northern Spain from west to east over 1250km of remote country and mountain walking. The waymarked route runs through the Pyrenean foothills from Puerto de Tarna at the western end to near L'Escala on the Mediterranean coast. Arguably one of Spain's best long-distance paths, it follows gently graded paths, making a long but easy walk suitable for a reasonably fit walker. The complete trail requires around 53 days to complete end to end, but the guidebook splits the route into 7 sections, each with a start or endpoint that can be easily reached by train or bus, allowing walkers to explore the route in manageable chunks. The guidebook also describes how to extend the route to Finisterre and the Atlantic using GR routes. Providing all the information you will need, the guide combines practical information about planning your own itinerary, when to go, cuisine and terrain with general information about the varied geology and history of the area. Route description is accompanied by contoured mapping and stage and section summary information, as well as detailed information about any accommodation available en route.

In thirty-six thrilling days, Melanie Radzicki McManus hiked 1,100 miles around Wisconsin, landing her in the elite group of Ice Age Trail thru-hikers known as the Thousand-Milers. In prose that’s alternately harrowing and humorous, Thousand-Miler takes you with her through Wisconsin’s forests, prairies, wetlands, and farms, past the geologic wonders carved by long-ago glaciers, and into the neighborhood bars and gathering places of far-flung small towns. Follow along as she worries about wildlife encounters, wonders if her injured feet will ever recover, and searches for an elusive fellow hiker known as Papa Bear. Woven throughout her account are details of the history of the still-developing Ice Age Trail—one of just eleven National Scenic Trails—and helpful insight and strategies for undertaking a successful thru-hike. In addition to chronicling McManus’s hike, Thousand-Miler also includes the little-told story of the Ice Age Trail’s first-ever thru-hiker Jim Staudacher, an account of the record-breaking thru-run of ultrarunner Jason Dorgan, the experiences of a young combat veteran who embarked on her thru-hike as a way to ease back into civilian life, and other fascinating tales from the trail. Their collective experiences shed light on the motivations of thru-hikers and the different ways hikers accomplish this impressive feat, providing an entertaining and informative read for outdoors enthusiasts of all levels.