19 Dec 23
Got 10 days to spare? World’s Best Self-Guided Hikes!
Got 10 days to spare? Here’s a list of our favourite bucket-list hikes and lesser-known adventures to set you up for the year ahead. Set your own pace and walk pack-free. Enjoy the best hand-picked accommodation, seamless luggage transfers, delicious daily breakfasts and friendly local support should you need it. Use our navigation app for easy on-trail navigation and get great advice before you walk. Check individual trips for a full list of inclusions.
Let’s go hiking!
1. Arran Coastal Way with Holy Isle – Scotland
- 9 days plus optional extra day walking Holy Island
- Self-guided
- Cost: from $2150pp (twin share)
- When to go: April to October
The captivating Isle of Arran near Glasgow in Scotland is a breathtaking jewel of natural wonders and rich heritage. Self-described as ‘Scotland in Miniature’, Arran is easily accessible but when you arrive the island feels genuinely wild and untamed. Meandering around the island’s rim is the enchanting Arran Coastal Way, a 105km loop of great diversity that clings to rocky shores and diverts to inland woodlands and moors. Arran is also Scotland’s foodie island. You will be hard pressed to find a more varied selection of food and drink (much of it locally produced), anywhere in Scotland. The charming towns and villages dotted around the island warmly embrace visitors. Add an extra day for an excursion to Holy Isle and enjoy a wonderful, rugged walk to the summit of Mullach Mòr.
2. Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage – Japan
- 10 days
- Self-guided
- Cost: from $3595pp (twin share)
- When to go: March–May & October–December
The Kumano Kodo is one of the best treks on the planet! The glorious march through the verdant mountains of the southern part of the beautiful Kii Peninsula, just south of Osaka, includes hot spring retreats, delicious local food, traditional Japanese-style guesthouse lodgings and rich cultural insight into a relatively unexplored part of Japan. This lush and rugged area has been considered the abode of the gods and worshipped for centuries. On our unique 10-day walk you’ll hike the full length of the Nakahechi route, the most popular and accessible of the trails. Next we venture north, hiking over the Hatenashi-toge Pass on the Kohechi trail before travelling onward to mystical Koyasan – one of Japan’s most sacred sites, where you have a unique opportunity to stay in a Buddhist temple and be part of the daily rituals
3. Sarria to Santiago – Camino Francés (Spain)
- 9 days plus extra free day recommended in Santiago or Finisterre
- Self-guided
- Cost: from $1550pp (twin share)
- When to go: April to October
- Also read: Cape Finisterre – the end of the world!
There’s no easier way to enjoy Spain’s rich legacy of history, culture, food and art than to walk this iconic final section of the ancient Camino Frances. This itinerary is a manageable distance and a popular choice for walkers as it exceeds the minimum distance (100km) required to receive your official compostela certificate upon reaching Santiago (early compostelas were handwritten in Latin and acknowledged the pilgrim’s devotion and dedication to Saint James). The route attracts like-minded souls of all ages and backgrounds from all over the world, providing opportunities to forge lifelong friendships along the way. It’s well-maintained with plenty of yellow arrows marking the route. Numerous hotels, restaurants and support services make it accessible and comfortable if you are new to long-distance hiking or want to capture the essence of the Camino in a short timeframe. If you prefer a more leisurely pace for your hike, you can undertake this itinerary over 11 days or 14 days.
4. Lucca to Siena – Via Francigena (Italy)
- 9 days plus an additional night recommended in Lucca or Siena (or both!)
- Self-guided
- Cost: from $2150pp (twin share)
- When to walk: April–June & September–October
Grab your hiking gear and a large appetite and become a ‘pellegrino’ on the Via Francigena – the Italian Camino. This itinerary will have you hiking through Tuscany, the heart of the Via Francigena, on beautiful trails where vineyards, olive groves and forests lead you to ancient churches, monasteries and impressive fortified villages (often on hilltops). The itinerary alternates longer hiking days with shorter ones to allow you time to explore gorgeous UNESCO listed cities like Lucca, San Gimignano and Siena. At the end of each day reward yourself with a well-deserved ice cold gelato, Chianti wine, antipasto or some of Tuscany’s gastronomic delights like freshly made pasta with the region’s rare white truffle oil. Buon Viaggio!
5. Julian Alps Highlights – Slovenia
- 10 days
- Self-guided
- Cost: from $3350pp (twin share)
- When to go: May to October
Blissfully uncrowded, often overlooked and seriously underrated, Slovenia might just be the most enticing country in all of Europe! It really is one of the best-kept secrets in the world of travel. On this itinerary, you’ll enjoy exceptional hiking on two wonderful trails! Your journey begins in the delightful capital city of Ljubljana before heading into the heart of the Julian Alps to hike some of the highlights of the Alpe-Adria Trail, characterised by turquoise lakes and rivers, lush valleys, alpine meadows, tranquil forests, and striking mountain peaks. From picturesque Tolmin you will join the Juliana Trail, Slovenia’s newest hiking trail, for 3 wonderful days of hiking. The trail encompasses charming Alpine hamlets, pretty meadows and spruce forest in the Triglav National Park before reaching Lake Bohinj, arguably Slovenia’s most beautiful lake. Your final destination is the iconic Lake Bled, located at the foothills of the Julian Alps – a stunning place to celebrate the end of your hiking adventure.
6. Baiona to Santiago – Portuguese Coastal Camino
- 10 days
- Self-guided
- Cost: from $1995pp (twin share)
- When to go: April–October
- Also read: Why walk the Portuguese Coastal Camino
Take a refreshing dip in the Atlantic Ocean, relax in charming Galician villages, enjoy the most delicious seafood and walk through incredible natural beauty. That’s the Portuguese Coastal Camino! This particular itinerary (we have many more!) goes through Spain (not Portugal) and takes in Baiona (a lovely coastal resort town), Pontevedra (with its impressive elegant historic quarter), Redondela (famous for the best oysters in Galicia) and Caldas de Rei (a spa town with thermal hot springs). Your journey ends in the legendary city of Santiago de Compostela with its famous cathedral and the aura of 1200 years’ worth of pilgrimage, and will qualify you to receive a Compostela. If you would like to start your walk in Portugal, there is an option to walk from Porto to Baiona (9 days) beforehand.
7. South West Coast Path – St Ives to Penzance (Cornwall)
- 9 days plus an extra day recommended in Penzance
- Self-guided
- Cost: from $2190pp (twin share)
- Best time to walk: May–September
- Also read: 9 reasons to walk the South West Coast Path
The enchanting and rugged South West Coast Path in Cornwall is one of the UK’s best loved and most popular long-distance walks. The route is bursting with geological wonders, evocative landscapes, picture-perfect fishing villages, rich industrial history, literary connections and places to tuck into freshly caught seafood. It regularly features on lists of the world’s best walks. This itinerary – showcasing the best of the trail – begins in the charming artists haven and seaside holiday town of St Ives and finishes in lively Penzance (Poldark country; no pirates!) where you can dine out at sophisticated Michelin-starred pubs or decimate a large cream tea then walk to Marazion and wade out to the stunning St Michael’s Mount. Other unmissable highlights of this route include Sennen Cove (a surfing mecca, less than 2 miles from Land’s End) and the amazing clifftop amphitheatre of the Minack Theatre.
8. Gijon to Ribadeo – Camino del Norte (Spain)
- 10 days
- Self-guided
- Cost: from $1650pp (twin share)
- When to go: April to June & September to October
- Also read: Camino del Norte – the route less travelled
The Camino del Norte is a centuries-old pilgrimage route that winds its way for 817km through the distinctive Basque, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia regions of Spain. For more adventurous hikers who have walked the Camino de Santiago and are looking for a new challenge, it’s well worth a look. The fourth stage from Gijon to Ribadeo covers 156km along Asturias’ green coastline and into Galicia. There are numerous picturesque fishing villages and bustling fishing ports to explore along the way, plus beautiful beaches (some sandy and ideal for a dip; others impossibly wild). There is plenty to interest architecture enthusiasts, with some unique and well preserved sites, and for foodies the abundance of fine Asturian and Galician seafood to sample will undoubtedly be a highlight.
9. Hadrian’s Wall Path – England
- 10 days
- Self-guided
- Cost: from $2195pp (twin share)
- When to go: April to October
- Also read: Hiking England’s Coast to Coast Path
Walk across northern England accompanied by the world’s largest Roman artefact! Hadrian’s Wall is an English icon. The 135km trail that follows the wall is one of Britain’s most loved, long-distance hikes. It starts in vibrant post-industrial Newcastle upon Tyne, crosses a pastiche of green rolling hills and open moorland, takes in the dramatic windswept ridges and crags of Northumberland National Park, and ends in the bird-lovers haven of the Solway Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Besides incredibly well-preserved bits of wall, there’s an enormous variety of landscapes including sheep-dotted fields, forests, pastures and quaint English villages. The usual path follows an east-to-west direction, following the direction in which Hadrian’s Wall was built over the span of 6 years. Grabbing a celebratory pint in Bowness on Solway is a great way to finish. You can also choose to walk West to East, which may protect you from the prevailing winds from the Irish Sea. Both routes are equally enjoyable.
10. Cape to Cape Track with Meelup Trail – Western Australia
- 10 days
- Self-guided
- Cost: from $2650pp (twin share)
- When to go: March–June & September–December
Western Australia’s world-famous Cape to Cape Track will reward you with some of the most varied trekking in the world in one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. The trail curls through an exquisite landscape of dreamy white-sand beaches, red granite sea cliffs, tall Karri forests, coastal heathlands and paths lined with the region’s iconic orchids and wildflowers. Our unique extended 10-day trip includes the stunning Meelup Trail from Old Dunsborough to the Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse and is a great way to begin your Cape to Cape adventure. There are treasures aplenty here in the south west region, so take your time to explore and enjoy. We’ve included a rest day, which you could use to hop on a food and wine tour – visit secret cellar doors and meet passionate local producers. We can easily organise a driver so you can relax and switch into holiday mode.
