Hiking in Europe

THE PATHS – 01: HIKING IN EUROPE

WHY A HIKING TRIP IN EUROPE?

Although Canada offers a vast network of wonderful trails, hiking in its various regions for several days or longer on a linear route of good distance is quickly akin to an expedition because the transport of a minimum of equipment and food becomes essential, as well as a good mastery of orientation and a taste for camping. This is not for everyone!

If EURO-RANDO has turned to Europe to share its passion for hiking, it is also because the vast majority of European countries also have a vast network of trails, but with…

Choose and Go

THE PATHS – 02 – CHOOSE & GO!

PILGRIMAGE ? OR TOURISM ADVENTURE?

The European pedestrian network consists of more than 80,000 kms of marked “Compostela” trails ! In 2019, prior to the pandemic, nearly 350,000 people applied for a validation of pilgrimage to Santiago!

If these figures leave you dreaming, it suggests that the craze for these excursions has largely exceeded the notion of “strict pilgrimage”! It is true that today we still meet authentic pilgrims, but nowadays it is rather a…

Towards Compostela in France

THE PATHS – 03 : TOWARDS COMPOSTELA IN FRANCE

WHAT ARE THE MAJOR ROUTES FOR COMPOSTELA IN FRANCE?

In FRANCE, four main paths converge towards SPAIN: the WAY of PUY-EN-VELAY, the WAY of VEZELAY, the WAY of TOURS and the WAY of ARLES. The first three paths meet near ST-JEAN-PIED-DE-PORT, where many walkers and pilgrims gather before crossing the Pyrenees towards the CAMINO FRANCÈS.

WHAT IS THE WAY OF PUY-EN-VELAY ?

Distance: Approximately 750 km. It starts from the Notre-Dame du PUY-EN-VELAY cathedral, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. It is the most known and the most frequented with the superb plateau of…

Towards Compostela – How far should I travel?

PATHS 06 – TOWARDS COMPOSTELLE … WHAT DISTANCE TO COVER?

The choice of distance to walk will be dictated by the number of days available on site, your daily walking distance limit and the type of terrain.

WHAT IS MY DAILY WALKING LIMIT?

For example, if you are used to walking and your limit is about 25 km / day – that is to say about 6 to 7 hours of regular walking at 4 km / hour on a moderately uneven terrain – you can theoretically claim to be able to cover a…

Towards Compostela … 200 km and options for the route to follow!

THE PATHS – 07 : TOWARDS COMPOSTELA … 200 KM AND 3 OPTIONS !

From Canada, to complete the Camino du Puy (France – 750 km) or the Camino Francès (Spain – 800 km), you need to plan for at least 6 weeks of availability, or 42 days, including 32 days of walking.

The difference, 10 days, covers the plane-train-bus transfers to reach the beginning of the route (2 days), to return (2 days) and 1 day of rest per week (6 days).

In both cases, we are talking about an average of 25 km…

Towards Compostela – How long to go?

THE PATHS – 05 : TOWARDS COMPOSTELA … HOW LONG TO LEAVE ?

The vast majority of walkers – pilgrims or hikers – cover these great routes in several stages. It is indeed quite rare to be able to complete one of these great pilgrimage routes in one go, simply because of lack of time.

This is especially true for walkers from abroad who usually stay in Europe for two to three weeks due to limitations imposed by their professional…