8 spectacular hikes in Europe and where to stay

My love of hiking goes back even further than my love of unearthing delightful small hotels. Before I co-founded i-escape, I operated trekking tours in the lesser-trodden corners of Europe, from La Palma to the Peloponnese. Combining awesome landscapes, easy exercise, good company, and the pleasure of hiking from village to village, it remains my favourite way of travelling.

In a few rare places, these two holy grails – spectacular hikes and spoiling hotels – converge. And they are my favourite spots in the world. Days spent scrambling up a rocky ridge, surveying endless layers of mountain silhouettes, inhaling lungfuls of fresh air, dipping in gin-clear river pools, stomping back along ancient trails or flowery meadows – and knowing that, at the end of it all, there’s a super-comfy bed to return to, with hearty food, steaming shower, perhaps even a jacuzzi or sauna. Bliss.

Here are my top eight spots in Europe to do just that.

1 Clovelly – Boscastle, South West Coast Path, UK

I’ll start closest to home (Bristol, UK). Over the last 15 years, I’ve slowly completed the South West Coast Path – in chunks of 3-4 days, with an old friend, lots of swims, and several inland detours for fun. There’s simply no better way to cleanse the mind, chew the cud and refresh a precious friendship. My favourite stretch? It has to be on the wilder north coast, as you cross out of Devon into Cornwall: from Clovelly round Hartland Point, south to Bude, then on to Boscastle. There are crazily crumbling coastal cliffs (Hartland), secret waterfalls in deep gullies (Speke’s Mill), patches of ancient gnarled woodland (Crackington), wide-open sands and surf (Sandymouth, Widemouth), tumbling heather-specked hillsides and foaming ocean views (throughout), and the impossibly pretty villages of Clovelly and Boscastle to book-end it all.

Best months: May, June & September
How long: 3 full days; or easily split into 5-6 half-days
Getting there: 2.5 hours’ drive from Bristol, 4-5 hours from London
More info: SWCP Path
Top tip: from Speke’s Mill, wander a mile inland for a super-authentic cream tea at pretty Docton Mill

2 Kardamyli & Mt. Taygetos, Greece

This spot is closest to my heart – and to my birthplace (Athens). I visit every October with family and friends, and never tire of exploring its winding stone mulepaths, deep limestone gorges and the breathtaking summits of Mt. Taygetus, wisped in cloud. Along the way are medieval chapels, wild orchids, colourful lizards and shaded cafés where you can re-energise with a punchy Greek coffee and glyko (glacéd fruit). 

Based in the beautiful seafront village of Kardamyli, you can easily head off through the Viros gorge, or past Petrovouni and Prastio villages to Foneas beach, or between the mountain hamlets of Tseria and Exohori. With a car, your options extend to the Pigadiotiko bridge, spanning the narrowest of clefts; or the cool fir forests and serrated skylines of the high summit zone.

Best months: April, May, October
How long: you can easily fill a week of day- and half-day hikes
Getting there: fly to Athens (then 3.5 hours’ drive) or Kalamata (1 hour’s drive)
More info: Sunflower guidebook & Anavasi map
Top tip: for a change of pace, book a sea kayaking or cycling tour (see our Insider’s Guide)

3 Boaventura & northern Madeira

I’ve long known about the island’s dramatic peaks and beautifully maintained levada trails; but the problem is, so have lots of other people. And some routes – Pico Ruivo to Pico Areeiro, Levada das 25 Fontes, the São Lourenço peninsula – can become like bus queues.

So I was delighted to discover that a central sliver between the north coast and the mountains remains almost untrodden. And wow, what scenery! On our top-of-the-world trek from Encumeada Pass to the peaks of Ferreiro and Casado, we saw just two other people. With clever planning and strong ankles, you can continue down the Urzal valley to Boaventura; and, next day, pick up the 19th-century ‘Royal Road’ zigzagging east up to Arco de São Jorge or west to São Cristovão, for gob-smacking ocean views.

Best months: March-November
How long: Encumeada-Boaventura can be done in a long day (with transport)
Getting there: fly to Funchal (then 45 minutes’ drive)
More info: Alltrails 
Top tip: Before setting off, check on Visit Madeira that the trail is open, and if you need to prepay a (small) fee.

4 Sierra de Grazalema, Andalucia, Spain

I include this hike in fond memory of our late colleague Guy Hunter Watts – Andalucian aficionado, mountain roamer and hotel reviewer extraordinaire – who departed to higher altitudes in 2023. El Reloj (‘The Clock’) was, he told me, his favourite summit in the Ronda mountains near his home in Montecorto: a jagged 1560m peak, with far-reaching views towards Africa, resident chamois and griffon vultures, and a pine-scented wilderness that belies its proximity to the postcard-pretty village of Grazalema. I laid a stone on the summit cairn and felt Guy’s spirit. Combining wooded trails, rocky clambering and two summits, this circular route makes a perfect day hike on a clear day.

Best months: April, May, September, October
How long: 8 miles / 13km (5-6 hours’ hiking)
Getting there: fly to Jerez, Seville or Malaga (then 1-2 hours’ drive)
More info: Guy’s Cicerone guidebook or Alltrails
Top tip: bring binoculars to admire the resident griffon vultures

5 Ruta de los Volcanes, La Palma, Canary Islands

This is a hike I’ll never forget: a switchbacking ridge of 6000-ft volcanic peaks, lunar craters, luminous green pine forests and, at your feet, a carpet of distant blue ocean – or of swirling cloud. After the initial hour’s climb we felt on top of the world all the way, almost as if we were in space. A faintly shimmering white triangle to the east – Mt Teide on Tenerife – reminds you that you’re actually in the Canary Islands. 

You’ll need someone to drive you to the trailhead at the Area Recreativa El Pilar (on the LP301), and/or to collect you from the village of Los Canarios; plus clear skies, comfy boots, plenty of energy, and good knees for the long descent at the end. But it’s worth it. And gluttons can complete the island traverse to Fuencaliente lighthouse the next day (+ 5 km / 3 miles).

Best months: All year
How long: 18 km / 11 miles (6-8 hours’ hiking)
Getting there: Fly to La Palma (N.B. not Palma de Mallorca!), then 30 mins’ drive
More info: Ruta de los volcanes
Top tip: Bring trekking poles to save your knees on the long descent

6 Langdale Pikes, The Lake District, UK

Cumbria’s Lake District has so many great hikes, it’s hard to pick one. In the northeast, I love the climb from Threlkeld up to Blencathra, descending via Sharp Edge and Scales Tarn; and the ascent of Helvellyn from Patterdale, returning via Grisedale Tarn. Both combine a summit, a swimmable tarn and a spectacular ridge; but they are demanding routes which require good boots and good weather. So I’ve chosen a Langdale circuit with the same three elements in a scaled-down version to suit most abilities. From Dungeon Ghyll it climbs north past waterfalls (and optional scrambles) to the bracing waters of Stickle Tarn, then loops up around the brooding crags of the Langdale Pikes before returning via Raven Crag. Our son and our puppy both lapped it up.

Best months: May – September
How long: 5 miles / 8 km 
Getting there: 2 hrs’ drive from Manchester; 3 from Birmingham; 6 from London
More info: this Alltrails route (no need to return via Stickle Tarn)
Top tip: Avoid school holidays if possible

7 The White Mountains, Crete

Soaring straight up from the Libyan Sea to altitudes of 2,500m (8,000 ft), Crete’s White Mountains are a truly wild and spectacular range, not to be underestimated. The star attraction is the 16km-long Samaria Gorge, whose neck-craning rockfaces narrow to just a few metres wide in places. Several companies offer this as a (long) day-trip from the north-coast town of Chania, using the ferry to collect you from the trail end in Agia Roumeli. But if you have more time, preface it with the ascent of Gingilos, a dramatic rocky peak with far-reaching views over the gorge to snow-streaked summits. Or extend east along the coast, past the chapel where St. Paul allegedly put ashore, over a rocky bluff and down to Loutro for the last night. It’s steep, rocky and often hot, but worth every step when you plunge fizzing into the azure seas. 

Best months: May & October
How long: 3 days (1 for Gingilos, 1 for Samaria, 1 for the coast hike)
Getting there: fly to Chania
More info: Cicerone guidebook 
Top tip: the Samaria Gorge closes from Nov-April and occasionally after heavy rains; check if in doubt

8 The Gastein Valley, Austrian Alps

Every summer I arrange a week’s hiking in Austria with my brother and his family (who live in Vienna) – and it’s always a highlight of our year. Being up at 2,000-3,000m altitude, often hiking from hut to hut, is a true top-of-the-world feeling. Away from devices, our teenage kids slowly switch off and start absorbing the real world around them; parents too, for that matter. We punctuate the walks with swims in blue-green mountain tarns, picnics on flowering meadows and old-fashioned card games in the evening. This year, for a more indulgent break, we plan to explore the Gastein Valley south of Salzburg, based in the wonderful Haus Hirt. They arrange guided walks (so I can switch off, too!), as well as mountain bike tours, climbing and archery to keep teens amused. And we can relax with thermal baths, massages and fine cuisine at the end of each day.

Best months: June-September
How long: Haus Hirt prefers weekly stays (and min 3 nights)
Getting there: fly to Salzburg (then 1.5 hrs’ drive)
More info: Haus Hirt
Top tip: finish with a couple of days in postcard-pretty Salzburg