60 SOUTH WEST COAST TRAIL
Stretching 1,014 km from Minehead in Somerset, along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, and eventually reaching Poole Harbour in Dorset, this National Trail is England’s longest waymarked long-distance footpath. It was originally used by the Coastguard to walk from lighthouse to lighthouse while patrolling for smugglers.
59 GRAND CANYON
A multi-day trek through the backcountry ‘below the rim’ is a great way of exploring the the 277-mile long and 18-mile wide (at its widest point) Grand Canyon. There are campsites on both rims (which need to be booked in advance), but a special permit is required to camp overnight in the backcountry and these are vastly over-subscribed.
58 QUEEN CHARLOTTE TRACK
The 70km-long Queen Charlotte Track in New Zealand is popular amongst both walkers and mountain bikers, and mostly leads through native bush along the ridgeline of hills, offering spectacular views on either side. While long, the trail is easy to follow and has bridges at all major stream crossings.
57 GR70
The GR70, also known as the ‘Robert Louis Stephenson Trail’, takes walkers through some of France’s least least-populated regions: the Velay, Gevaudan and Cevennes. The trail starts in Le Monastier and finishes at Ste Jean, though you can add an extra 45km to take you to the medieval town of Le Puy-en-Velay and Ales.
56 SKYE TRAIL
This challenging, unofficial 128km long- distance route on the Isle of Skye rewards hikers with some of the most stunning mountain and coastal scenery in Scotland. It follows much of the Trotternish Ridge and passes under the famous Cuillin range of mountains. Good navigations skills are a must, as some sections do not follow a trail and none of the route is waymarked.
55 PAMIRS’ FANN MOUNTAINS
The Pamirs’ Fann Mountains are part of the great mountain ranges that run along the southern edges of the Central Asian republics. Trekkers to the region enjoy the rugged and remote wilderness of jagged ridges, alpine lakes and snow-capped peaks that stretch and fold towards the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram.
54 MAKALU BASE CAMP
This trek, which is undertaken by only a few trekking groups each year, travels through the beautiful Makalu Barun National Park to the base camp of Makalu (8,481m), the world’s fifth highest mountain. This remote area of Nepal is ideal for those who want to get off the beaten track, and a crossing of the Shipton La (4,220m) will be rewarded with views of Everest’s hidden Kangshung Face.
53 TOUR OF THE MATTERHORN
The 145km-long circuit around the world’s most recognisable mountain takes you through alpine villages on both sides of the Swiss-Italian border and reveals the different faces of the famous peak. Starting at Randa, there are nine stages to this challenging trek during which you will complete nearly 10,000m of ascent and the same amount of descent.
52 WADI RUM AND PETR
A Dubbed the ‘Inca Trail of the Middle East’, trek through the desert in Wadi Rum and visit to the ancient city of Petra is one of the most dramatic in the Middle East. Following in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, highlights include an ascent of Jordan’s highest peak, Jebel Um Adaami (1,832m), scrambling up the famous rock arch at Burdah Bridge and hiking through the rugged Rakebak Canyon.
51 ALPINE PASS ROUTE
Part of the Via Alpina route, this 325km trek through the Swiss Alps takes trekkers over 16 mountain passes. You’ll need at least 15 days to complete the route which is well signposted. The Alpine Pass Route starts in Sargans in eastern Switzerland, and finishes in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva.
50 DHAULAGIRI CIRCUIT
Located to the west of the Annapurnas in Nepal, this trek gives constant jawdropping views of the world’s seventh-highest mountain, Dhaulagiri, and its neighbouring peaks. Starting at Pohkara, highlights of the trek include a visit to Dhaulagiri Base Camp sited below the 8,167m peak’s north face and the hike to the French Col and the ‘Hidden Valley’.
49 ZANSKAR ICE TREK
An adventurous winter trek on the frozen Zanskar river, the Ice Trek or ‘Chadar’ follows a traditional trading route that gives access to remote areas that are cut off for most of the year. Taking at least three weeks, the trek visits the small towns of Pishu, Stongde, Pidmo and Zangla which contain gompas and forts.
48 PENNINE WAY
The famous National Trail is 429km long and runs from Edale in northern Derbyshire to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland, along the Pennine hills. Along the trail there are numerous points where the Pennine Way intersects with other public rights of way, roads, and passes villages and towns.
47 KANGCHENJUNGA BASE CAMP
This remote trek in Sikkim will bring you to the base of Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world, via some of the most stunning scenery in the Himalayas. With 20 or so peaks exceeding 7,000m and numerous 6,000m peaks surrounding the route, trekkers will also pass by traditional villages and Buddhist monasteries.
46 MT KENYA
The most stunning of the ice-capped African peaks is home to a great diversity of wildlife, including leopard, elephant and buffalo. The Chogoria/Sirimon route is considered to offer the best combination of alpine scenery and acclimatisation as trekkers ascend via spectacular Lake Michaelson and Lake Ellis to the trekking peak at Point Lenana (4,979m).
45 MT MERU
Often used as an acclimatisation ascent before Kilimanjaro, trekkers come away exhilarated by the experience of climbing the steep ridge line to a crater rim that rivals Kilimanjaro. With a large wildlife population including elephants and mountain reedbuck, Meru’s summit day climb to 4,566m should not be taken lightly.
44 ALTA VIA 2
The Dolomites’ AV2 route is tougher and consequently less busy than the Alta Via 1 which runs parallel to it. The trail almost immediately takes you to about 2,000m and remains high for the remainder of the trek, which includes several via ferrata sections.
43 KOTA KINABALU
The short trek to the top of Borneo’s highest mountain, Kinabalu, starts in rainforest and ascends through this ecologically diverse area to the rocky plateau where there are several summits. The two-day trek takes walkers to the high point of Low’s Peak (4,096m), however other peaks are for climber’s only.
42 PICOS DE EUROPA TRAVERSE
Popular amongst mountaineers, climbers and walkers alike, the Picos de Europa are situated about 20km from the northern coast of Spain, and consist mainly of limestone. A traverse typically takes six days through this impressive landscape created by glacial action.
41 MOUNT RORAIMA
Said to have inspired Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘The Lost World’, Roraima is the highest of the Pakaraima chain of tepui plateaus sited on the borders of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. Bounded on all sides by 400m cliffs, trekkers can stand on the 2,810m summit and visit the highest waterfall in the world, Angel Falls.