1 INTERNATIONAL APPALACHIAN TRAIL, IRELAND
Best for… An alternative classic
Start/end: Bunglas (Donegal)/Larne (Antrim)
Distance: 485km; 25 days
Difficulty: Moderate/Strenuous
Not content with spanning thousands of kilometres of the USA, the Appalachian Trail has spread across borders, linking what was once – 175 million years ago – one single mountain range rippling across super-continent Pangea. The Ulster chapter launched in 2011; investment in 2021 has seen the trail improved, plus new signage and trail art installed.
The route is diverse, starting on the Atlantic coast by the sea-smacked peak of Slieve League (in the Republic of Ireland) before heading into the Blue Stack Mountains, past peaceful Lough Eske and Killeter Forest, via the Sperrins (Glenelly Valley is a highlight), along the UNESCO-listed rocks and bays of the Causeway Coast and through the Glens of Antrim, finishing by the Irish Sea at Larne.
Info: walkni.com/iat
Or try… Saint Patrick’s Way, Ireland’s alternative to the Camino de Santiago. The 132km route links Armagh, where the saint founded his first church, to Downpatrick, his final resting place.
2 GR20, CORSICA
Best for… A Med mountain challenge
Start/end: Calenzana/Conca
Distance: 180km; 10-14 days
Difficulty: Strenuous
Glance at a topographical map of the ‘Ile de Beauté’ and it’s no surprise that the GR20 has a reputation as one of Europe’s toughest hikes. This Grande Randonnée cuts a north-west-to-south-east diagonal along Corsica’s relentlessly mountainous spine, clocking up around 19,000m of ascent and descent via steep slopes of scree and boulders – terrain usually
