New routes, a selection

Hiking is hot, trails are hot, pilgrimage is hot.

And if it's hot, there have to be more of them.

Some time ago I introduced new routes in Korea and the USA: The Wonhyo Trail and the Camino del Norte a Chimayo.

Now, I'll introduce another set of interesting, even special, choices.

• The National Forest Way in the UK.
• The Bigfoot trail in the USA.
• The Walk of Wisdom in The Netherlands.
• And, if your feet had enough, just pick the Al Andalus train to Santiago de Compostela.

The National Forest Way in the UK

The National Forest Way opened in May 2014 and guides you along a 75-miles trail through Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire. Right, England! And all England is here, according to the National Forest Project: Coal and granite, heathland and hills, meadows and water, woodland ofcourse.
The environmental project transforms 200 sq miles in the middle of England.

Read more on the project website.

Or interested in walking? Then continue on this page. 

The Bigfoot trail in the USA

After 'Wild' (saw it?) and 'A Walk in the Woods' (forthcoming) hiking in the US is immensely popular. The Bigfoot Trail will attract a lot of feet trying to get a glimpse of the sasquatch. The trail leads 360 miles through the Klamath-Siskiyou mountains in northern California and Southern Oregon.

Read this article

or visit the trails website,
but remember it's brand new and perhaps not yet ready for you!

The Walk of Wisdom in The Netherlands

Now this is interesting, a complete new contemporary pilgrimage route. A route to contemplate the wisdom of life. Please turn of mobile phones!
This, again brand new, pilgrimage route leads you along the city of Nijmegen in eastern parts of The Netherlands. The initial route is 136km, more is planned, much more, perhaps sometimes covering the earth.

So, today you can walk the hilly environment, along rivers, ancient forests and cultural landscapes. The initiative looked at the Camino to Santiago, at Henro in Japan and came up with this Walk.
Not religious, contemplative!
It's rituals and symbols are the Pilgrim's book of tides, a symbol of the 'icoon', a lace to collect the daily rings and an advice to fast: no internet or mobile phone.

You can read more on this pilgrimage route on their site, but: only in Dutch for the moment.

Al Andalus train to Santiago de Compostela

And finally, a trail on wheels: Al Andalus.

In july Spain’s national rail company, Renfe, allows you to travel from Leon to Santiago de Compostela in their luxury Al Andalus train. 

Usually it tours in the south of the country, now it's an alternative for blisters, stuffed summer albergues, strenuous backpack walks.

Book a six-day trip on the 'palace on wheels' at €3,740 per person.

Read on

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