I highly recommend ultra-long walks, and the South West Coast Path (600 miles and two months to do the whole thing). There's nothing quite like it.
I highly recommend ultra-long walks, and the South West Coast Path (600 miles and two months to do the whole thing). There's nothing quite like it.
- Lykian Way, Turkey (http://www.lycianway.com/)
- Rota Vincentina, Portugal (http://www.rotavicentina.com/)
I was with a friend, though. It was a lot of fun and really interesting.
Had a bivy sack and sleeping bag so most nights we just walked off the road and slept wherever seemed hidden enough. We took about five weeks or so. Stayed in random towns and such for different durations, but the walking part was always my favorite.
I'd like to do more trips like that, except try a few by myself. I get to and from work walking pretty often. Right now that's only about two miles, but even if it's five to ten, it can be nice. It takes awhile, but it's always been therapeutic to me. Walking home today, actually. Love it.
Roadside bivy sack: https://www.dropbox.com/s/yxfmxk7qk0mmhx7/_MG_6280.JPG
Anyways, the good part of it is that you have cheap and clean pilgrim hotels all the way, and the food is quite good in most places.
Also, although the route has a lot of religious meaning, loads of people who are hiking aren't religious at all. So don't let that discourage you.
I've walked a fair bit of this trail before - at least the bits in the Highlands and walking it in one go would be rather cool.
Cycling round the North Sea would be rather interesting as well (http://www.northsea-cycle.com/).
The South West Coast Path is dotted with B&Bs, inns, pubs with accommodation, etc. These are often placed at convenient distances apart, 10 or 20 km at most usually. Accommodation prices ranged from 50 GBP at a simple golf course (the room had no proper heat, but the lounge/restaurant was charming) to 95 GBP at the Tinners Arms in Zennor (population 217 as of this writing), a spotless room above a pub from the thirteenth century. The chef there was from afar and cooked spectacular food in this, the middle of nowhere.
You can camp instead, and in the high season you may even need to. We went in autumn when there were few distance walkers (downsides: not warm, some rain, quite a bit of mud in spots, every sleeping place in Porthcurno closed for the winter, but a B&B took us in and the local Elvis impersonator invited us to stay with him but he drove a camper van so...).