8 of Europe’s best beginner hikes

Tempted by the idea of hiking holidays but worry they’ll be too gruelling? Here are eight beginner-friendly hikes that are less about endurance and more about the simple pleasures of the Great Outdoors. Some will take you just a few hours, others last several days. But regardless of which you choose to tackle, each has been chosen for their combination of easy terrain, well-maintained paths and spectacular surroundings. Just be sure you’re properly shod before you start. A pair of well-fitted walking boots, appropriate for your hike and chosen with the help of an experienced shop assistant, will save you a world of pain once you get going.

 (Essential day-hiking gear, from trail clothing to clever backpacks.)

1. Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Italy

Length: 5.5 miles
Time: 3-4 hours

In the mountains, hikers have a simple rule of thumb: the best views come on the biggest walks. Unless, that is, you’re walking the Tre Cime di Lavaredo circuit in the Italian Dolomites. It girdles three of the most gobsmacking walls of shattered rock you’ll ever clap eyes on — and yet the path is broad and steady throughout, with each ascent carefully paced. It begins and ends at a series of car parks by the Rifugio Auronzo (access is controlled and there’s a fee to pay as well) — and from there you can walk either way. It’s also served by bus from Auronzo. Hike it in June or September to avoid the high-summer crowds and bring a pair of telescopic hiking poles if you’re tackling it in June, in case there’s still snow on the path. You don’t want to slip as you stare, slack-jawed, at the extraordinary scenery.

2. Sentiero Azzurro, Italy

Length: 8 miles
Time: 2-3 days

Most hikers could complete the whole coast-hugging length of the Sentiero Azzurro — from Monterosso to Riomaggiore — in one short but intense day of walking. But why would you want to chew through such a magnificent route in a few hours? Linking the five villages of Liguria’s famous Cinque Terre, this narrow path is a route to savour, getting the walking done early in the day to avoid any crowds, then taking your time over lunch, boat trips and sea swims during the rest of the day.  July and August are best avoided on account of both the heat and the overtourism. But that’s no bother, because the weather is already balmy in April and can stay warm till October. On a sunny day, the sense of height and space is so intense, you’ll think you’re peering over the edge of a cloud.  Bring walking poles if you’re at all unsteady on your feet, check beforehand if your chosen sections of path are open (landslides can close them) and don’t forget to buy a path permit. You can catch a train from any the five villages when you’re done.

3. The Chemin de Puy, France

Length: 40 miles
Time: 4 days

Don’t worry, we’re not suggesting you hike the full 457 miles of this pilgrim’s trail, which links the French town of Puy-en-Velay with the Camino de Santiago in Spain. We’ve cherry-picked a short section through rural Gascony, starting in Éauze, where the land is rich and green, the gentle hills easily tackled and the food and wine always tempting. You do, however, need to walk it the wrong way — against the flow of hikers — so that your final goal is the loveliest town on the route. For three miles before you reach it, hilltop Lectoure beckons you along leafy lanes and between rolling wheat fields. Once there, expect to be greeted by an ensemble of cafes, boulangeries and medieval walls. The other stops — Montréal-du-Gers, Condom, La Romieu — are all ancient and lovely, too, and, because the route is covered by France’s GR65 long-distance footpath, it’s served by excellent online mapping. Agen is the key railway station — linked by bus or taxi to both Éauze and Lectoure.

4. Hadrian’s Wall, England

Length: 21 miles
Time: 4-5 days

For hikers with a penchant for history, the central section of Hadrian’s Wall, from Birdoswald to Chollerford is a long and continuous treat, packed with evocative ruins, mind-expanding archaeology and an ever-present sense of communion with the people who garrisoned the frontier. It is also, by upland standards, easy-going. The long-distance trail that follows the wall is well-maintained and is shadowed by a lower, flatter route when the ridge line dips and rolls too steeply. Peppered with B&Bs, the path offers plenty of places to break the journey while the 681 and AD122 bus services connect you to railway stations on the Carlisle to Newcastle line. Just remember to keep each day’s walking short. That way you’ll have time to explore key sites and museums, as well as diverting south to the fort at Vindolanda — Britain’s richest trove of Roman remains, it’s still producing extraordinary evidence after nearly 60 years of excavations.

5. Stockholm Archipelago Trail, Sweden

Length: 6 miles
Time: 2 days

All told, this extraordinary island-hopping trail covers 168 miles across 21 islands in the Stockholm Archipelago. But thanks to excellent ferry services it’s easy to pick out a section or two from the list and add an outdoorsy extension to a Stockholm city break. The island of Grinda is the obvious choice. About 90 minutes from the city’s quay at Strömkajen, it’s far enough out to deter most day-trippers, but also home to the Wärdshuset, a pretty guesthouse and restaurant for anyone who needs a longer escape. So, if you book far enough in advance, you’ll enjoy understated, Scandi-style comfort after your walk. Come in June or July, avoid the weekends and bring your bathers. The footpath around the island serves up forested bluffs, smooth, half-submerged boulders and sheltered little bays perfect for swimming. Boats putter, seabirds swoop and you’ll wish you could stay a whole week.

6. Heidschnuckenweg, Germany

Length: 30 miles
Time: 3 days

Voted Germany’s most beautiful hike in 2014, this ‘Trail of the Heath Sheep’ is also one of its easiest. For 136 miles it explores the long, north-south strip of the Lüneburg and Southern Heaths — with no hill higher than 555ft and the path broad and sandy for most of its length. Hike it in mid to late August when the heather blooms and turns the landscape into a sea of lilac, but don’t feel obliged to go the full distance. The three-day stretch provided by stages 3 to 5, from Handeloh to Bispingen, offers a lovely taster — with rail access at either end and some serene villages en route for overnight stops. None, however, are quite as soothing as car-free Wilsede. You’ll probably stop for lunch here on day two and, for a brief and blissful moment, it’ll seem like you’ve hiked out of the 21st century altogether.

7. Lechweg, Austria

Length: 77 miles
Times: 8-10 days

How do you have a multi-day hiking holiday in the Alps that doesn’t strain every sinew? Simple: you follow a river downstream. And not just any river. This 77-mile trail follows the Lech — one of the wildest watercourses in central Europe, which floods with snowmelt every spring and has carved out a landscape of gravel banks and floodplains that look more Canadian than Austrian. On your hike, two magnificent walls of mountain will be your companions as you descend the valley, through forests, meadows and over dramatic suspension bridges. A combination of train and bus will get you from Zurich or Innsbruck airports to the mountain town of Lech, while Reutte’s railway station is a good place to catch a train to Munich for the journey home.

8. Hallin Fell, England

Length: one mile
Time: one hour

For a family-friendly hike, try Hallin Fell. Set halfway along Ullswater in the Lake District National Park, it’s all but a mound compared with Helvellyn’s glowering massif nearby. You can drive a third of the way up it, too, but that just adds to the sense of drama. It begins with the switchback road up to the car park, continues with a short but breathtakingly steep ascent through 500 vertical feet and finishes with a dizzy, 360-degree view of open water, round-topped fells and busy Cumbrian skies. And even with the obligatory snack stops, you’ll all be at the top in half an hour. The smooth grassy path means it can be tackled in wellies or grippy trainers, too. For those without a car, the Ullswater Steamer service from Pooley Bridge to Howtown offers even more exciting access, though it does double the length of the walk.