10 - 12 winter days outside Spain?

[HeidiL]

We've got some days off in late February, and would like to practice another language for a change. (Don't worry, Madrid tickets for Easter already booked!)

Anywhere nice, not too hilly? Doesn't have to be very "pilgrimy", hotels are fine, and we don't need company on the route, but would like to avoid perishing in a snow drift somewhere...

Please give us some suggestions!

 

[wayfarer]

Plenty walking in Ireland if you don't mind the rain. See link below for list of trails, of course I would recommend Clare.
http://www.irishtrails.ie/

Edit: The South of France is also beautiful for walking in the Pyrenees, We base ourselves in Collioure and do day hikes from there. You could do a section of the GR 10 which starts a few k's away in Banyuls but you probably would have snow in Feb.
http://www.pyreneanway.com/french-pyrenees-gr-10-walk-guide/?lang=en

 

[Bradypus]

Part of the Via Francigena perhaps? I think that Tuscany might be well worth a visit even in winter. If you start at Monteriggioni or San Miniato you will have left the really hilly sections behind but still have some beautiful scenery and spectacular towns to pass through. And there is the possibility of seeing them without a solid wall of camera-toting tourists around every building in mid-winter... Lots of maps and other information here:
http://www.viefrancigene.org/en/

 

[oursonpolaire]

I ran into an Irish pilgrim who was a big fan of walking in Sardinia, and has also done a long-distance walk in Sicily. There seem to be plenty of guides published-- perhaps others have done one of these?

 

[Marcus-UK]

We've got some days off in late February, and would like to practice another language for a change. (Don't worry, Madrid tickets for Easter already booked!)

Anywhere nice, not too hilly? Doesn't have to be very "pilgrimy", hotels are fine, and we don't need company on the route, but would like to avoid perishing in a snow drift somewhere...

Please give us some suggestions!

You could try your hand at a version of Catalan on Cami de Cavalls in Menorca. The coastal path all the way round menorca was fully reopened this year. I have walked sections in the past during the summer. Menorca has a mild winter compared to Norway and there are lots of cheap accommodation options.
Maps can be found at:

http://www.menorca-net.co.uk/maps/cami_cavalls/cami_de_cavells_map_menorca.php

 

[KinkyOne]

Slovenia?
Even have St.James's way but a lot other ways also...
I think closest low fare airport(s) are Venice/Treviso/Triste. PM me if interested.

EDIT:
- capitol Ljubljana (I was co-director of this):

- first one about Slovenia I came across:

 

[HeidiL]

All interesting suggestions!

I'm in Ljubljana for work once in a while anyway.
KinkyOne, what's the weather like in February? Is there a nice route you'd recommend at that time of year? What's your pilgrim route like?

And the Italian route - we could definitely fly to Siena and walk towards Rome! I found the maps on the recommended web page, is there someone who can tell me what it says about accommodation?

Marcus, are you sure the Menorcan path isn't very hilly? I can't climb mountains any longer, and the profile maps look like some sections of the Norte...

Ireland: are there routes where you walk TO some place, not just day trips?

Hoping for more info on Sardinia, do keep it coming!

(I love this forum. Big hugs to you all!)

 

[giorgio]

Here you can see more details about the Via Francigena in Tuscany
http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/site/it/itinerario/Le-15-tappe-toscane/
For details about the Via with a list of accomodations here you have the Guide in english ( ebook )
http://libri.terre.it/libri/collana...-the-Via-Francigena---English-edition-(ebook)
You could send me a PM in case you need more details
Giorgio

 

[Nandy61]

For Ireland, check out the Dingle Way (http://www.dingleway.com/) It's not terribly hilly (or most of it isn't) and you can walk from village to village each day, for the most part. Do stay a few days in Dingle town as it is delightful- lots of music, amazing old pubs and good restaurants. Then there's the people...!

 

[HeidiL]

We were in Dingle some years ago, when we spent almost three weeks on a driving holiday. Walking looks good!

Giorgio, this is very useful. Thank you to you, too!

 

[KinkyOne]

I'm in Ljubljana for work once in a while anyway.
KinkyOne, what's the weather like in February? Is there a nice route you'd recommend at that time of year? What's your pilgrim route like?

Definitely let me know when you'll be in Ljubljana

February is normal winter month but weather changed so much in past few years that it might be either very cold (but not much less than maybe -10C) or "warm" up to +15C. Chances of snow are quite minimal or maybe it stays for a few days and then melted. But conditions in mountains are really winter with lots of snow and avalanche hazard. In the south on the seaside if not windy you can sit in the sun only in T-shirt on some days.

For Slovenian St.James way (Jakobova pot) scroll a bit down on this site to see very simple scheme of all four branches:
http://www.jakobova-pot.si/
All of them are passing through Ljubljana. Real St.James way actually only goes south from Ljubljana to Trieste either you start at Croatian or Hungarian border. The one that goes NW was mostly used by pilgrims going to Austrian and German pilgrimage places.
Here you can find links to maps and GPS tracks for all four here:
http://www.jakobova-pot.si/jakobova-pot-slovenija-na-zemljevidu/
(short dictionary: pot = way, dolžina = lenght, od/do = from/to, datoteke pešpoti = links to maps/GPS tracks, zemljevid = map, 3500m vzponov etc. = 3500mts of uphills)

I haven't walked it yet but I know that you can mostly sleep in mountain huts (the closest to albergues we know from Spain), parish houses and sometimes pensions/small hotels/youth hostels (10-30€ usually). Majority of people speaks English and fewer German (north) and Italian (south).

 

[HeidiL]

...and the day before I took off for Christmas, I was invited to speak at a conference in Lisbon for two days near the end of this period. This covers my flight and some nights of hotel for me + husband - guess we'll just take the train to Santarém, where I stopped walking in October, and see how far we can get. We'll only have 6 whole days of walking, but it will still be nice.

I get it, the Camino Portugues wants us to fill in the bit we missed...

If my husband wants to, he can walk the 50-something km from Alverca, where HE stopped the last time (pesky work!) to Santarém while I'm working.

Once again, thank you to all for your excellent suggestions, I have no doubt they'll come in very useful - just not right now.

 

[KinkyOne]

I guess You could say Camino provides (the answer)

 

[Marcus-UK]

All interesting suggestions!

I'm in Ljubljana for work once in a while anyway.
KinkyOne, what's the weather like in February? Is there a nice route you'd recommend at that time of year? What's your pilgrim route like?

And the Italian route - we could definitely fly to Siena and walk towards Rome! I found the maps on the recommended web page, is there someone who can tell me what it says about accommodation?

Marcus, are you sure the Menorcan path isn't very hilly? I can't climb mountains any longer, and the profile maps look like some sections of the Norte...

Ireland: are there routes where you walk TO some place, not just day trips?

Hoping for more info on Sardinia, do keep it coming!

(I love this forum. Big hugs to you all!)

The path can be very hilly including mountains. The original path was set up I believe for the military to be able to move quickly to reinforce areas around the coast. there are sections which are flat. However this is a coastal path so every ria you cross will require an up and a down.