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Hiking Kotor Fortress, Montenegro

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

The most popular hike directly from the old city of Kotor, Montenegro, is Kotor Fortress..

Evening View of Bay of Kotor old town from Lovcen mountain.
  • 4km out and back
  • 225m elevation gain
  • 1,350 stone steps or rough trail beside the steps

I mostly took the trail on the way up. The steps on the way down. With headlamp.

As it was 30+C and humid, I waited until 8pm to start up the stairs.

From 8pm to 9am Fortress is effectively free as there are no guards at the gate.

Locals are irked that the daytime charge is 15 Euros (17.30 US) in 2026. They keep raising the price of this short day hike.

I started in the old city, a World Heritage site.

Though you can see the climb, it’s still a bit of a challenge to find one of the two trailheads in the maze of narrow streets. I used AllTrails.

Quite quickly you get great views of the Bay.

There’s no need to climb to the top. In fact, I think most people stop at this lookout.

The trail gets rougher from that point. I carried on.

Here’s the top of theย San Giovanni Castleย ruins. I was hoping for moonrise โ€” but didn’t get it while up there.

Bats feed off insects attracted to the lights shining up the mountain. Those white blurs are bats in time exposure.

It would be quite a different experience climbing in the day time. Here’s how the fortress sits above, protecting the old city of Kotor.

Many start at 5 or 6 am, trying to get back before the ticket takers arrive in the morning.

There’s an alternative hike to get similar great vista views.

I did the Ladder of Kotor Trail, as well, next morning.

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Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challenge

Hong Kong is perhaps the BEST major city for urban hikes.

But โ€”ย what if you try to run them continuously?

Hong Kong Four Trails Ultra Challengeย (Chinese:ย ้ฆ™ๆธฏๅ››ๅพ‘่ถ…็ดšๆŒ‘ๆˆฐ), orย HK4TUCย (Chinese:ย ๅ››ๅพ‘;ย lit.ย ‘Four Trails’), is an annualย ultramarathonย race inย Hong Kong. (Begun 2012.)

Considered one of the most challengingย mountain racesย worldwide, participants have to run through within 72 hours the famous quadruple hiking trails in Hong Kong known as “Four Trails”:ย MacLehose,ย Wilson,ย Hong Kong, andย Lantau.

The ultramarathon spans a total distance of 298 kilometres with a cumulative elevation of 14,500 metres …

Four Trailsย (Chinese:ย ้ฆ™ๆธฏๅ››ๅพ‘ๅคงๆญฅ่ตฐ) is a 2023ย Hong Kongย documentary filmย directed by Robin Lee.

As I post it’s available to watch free on Tubi.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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I’m Heading for Peaks of the Balkans Trail

BestHike editor Rick McCharles

I’m finally booked for Peaks of the Balkans starting Sept. 5, 2026.

In the Accursed Mountains, crossing between Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro.

Originally I wanted to do it independently, like my hero Cam Honan.

A Quick & Dirty Guide to the Peaks of the Balkans Trail

The most traveled hiker in the world, even Cam had to hire local tour operator, Albanian-basedย Zbulo.org,ย to arrange their cross-border permits.

It sounded too complicated to me.

SO I signed on with a guided tour with TRAVELBASE.

5-day highlights of the longer circuit. Still crossing between Albania, Kosovo, and Montenegro. They call it Balkans Trail, a section of the Peaks of the Balkans.

I’ll carry my own pack. Sleep in my own tent. But enjoy meals provided by my Dutch guides.

Click PLAY or watch highlights on YouTube.

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Morskie Oko Loop, Poland

A popular day hike is around Morskie Oko, the largest lake in the Polish Tatra Mountains. It is an easy trail, abundant in beautiful views and extremely varied.

AllTrails – Morskie Oko Loop

Getting to the lake is easy via a paved pathway. It’s about 9km return to the lake.

You don’t need your own vehicle as there are frequent private minibuses from the town of Zakopane. Getting to Zakopane from Krakรณw is 2-3 hours by bus or train.

Once at the lake, it’s another 3.9 km to add the shoreline loop walk. Unlike the smooth, paved access road you take to get to the lake, this loop is aย proper mountain trailย made of large, irregular stone blocks, boulders, and tree roots.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Hiking Remote Hornstrandir, Iceland

Cam Honan posted his adventure on the Hornstrandir Peninsula – Icelandโ€™s most remote wilderness region.

Located in the rugged Westfjords, this pristine nature reserve has no roads, no permanent residents (at least of the bipedal variety), and is accessible only by boat during the summer.

While it may not be the easiest place to reach, those who make the journey are rewarded with a magical landscape of dramatic sea cliffs, lonely peaks, and primeval tundra.

The flora and fauna is equally impressive, with an exceptional variety of plant life, along with vast seabird colonies and an abundance of arctic foxes. Itโ€™s one of my favourite places in Icelandโ€”and considering the strength of the competition, thatโ€™s saying quite a bit!

Distance:  Approx. 120 km (75 mi) (including side trips)

Duration:  6 days

Difficulty Level:  Moderate

Check it out:

Hiking Hornstrandir: Into Icelandโ€™s Most Remote Wilderness


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Samobor Castle Loop, Zagreb, Croatia

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

I asked A.I. to recommend good day hiking close to Zagreb with easy access to public transit.

It sent me to Samobor, about 24km away. Less than an hour by frequent bus. Population about 38,000.

The most popular local day hike is Samobor Castle.

An evocative ruin.

By Miroslav.vajdic – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

To get to the ruined fortress on the hill Tepec, I followed AllTrails Samobor Old Town.

  • 2.9km loop
  • 142m elevation gain

Trailhead right in the centre of town.

Easy walking on very well trod paths.

The ruins are still impressive. And wide open for exploration.

From the high point on that itinerary, you can continue upwards to Tepec Vista Point, a 14-meter-high steel pyramid tower.

It provides fantastic panoramic views over Samobor, Zagreb, and Medvednica Mountain.

Here’s the view back down on Samobor Castle.

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Great Lesser-known Hikes in Europe

In recent years, Moon & Honey Travel has been my go-to blog for discovering new trails.

The problem with Europe is that there are TOO MANY OPTIONS. Deciding on where to go can be confusing.

Here are 10 of their favourite trails. I’ve only done one of these.

  • Saksun to Tjรธrnuvรญk Hike, Faroe Islands
  • Edelweissweg, Zermatt, Switzerland
  • Walenpfad Panorama Trail, Engelberg, Swiss Alps
  • Alpstein High Trail, Appenzell, Switzerland
  • Emperorโ€™s Crown Trail, Tyrol, Austria
  • Schladminger Tauern High Trail, Styria, Austria
  • Triglav National Park Traverse, Slovenia
  • Seekarspitze โ€“ Seebergspitze Ridge Trail, Lake Achensee, Austria
  • Hellโ€™s Valley Gorge, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
  • Pala di San Martino Circuit Trail, Dolomites


Details on their website:

Hiking Europe in July: 10 Favorite Trails


Edelweissweg, Zermatt


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My NEXT Bike for Long Distance Touring

My current touring bike is a Trek Checkpoint customized for my good self. And I have had many thousands of enjoyable miles on it. 

BUT it’s nearing end of life for multi-day cycling. I broke off the rear rack on my last long trip.

Right now I’m upgrading my other bike โž™ 2015 Ghost Panamao X 3 Bicycleย  โ€“ CAD$725. It’s in great shape right now now as Brian has been doing the maintenance. BEST about the Ghost is front suspension like a mountain bike. A comparatively inexpensive gravel ride, it carried me from Vancouver to Calgary in 2020.

Next bike?

IF I was to upgrade, my first choice is the somewhat more expensive Priority 600 series with front suspension. More comfort is the main thing I’m looking for.

An option is electronic Pinion Smart.Shift technology, 600% gear range across 12 speeds.

It’s available in titanium and aluminum.

In fact, my guru โ€” Ryan Duzer โ€” switched from a Checkpoint to the Priority. That’s Ryan in the photo.

One of the designers, some call this bike the Duzer Cruiser.  He just rode it from Canada to Mexico on the Tour Divide.

I think I’d prefer the no maintenance belt drive pinion system. And the nearly unbreakable Gates Carbon Drive.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. 

My second choice, so far, is another Trek.

The new (expensive) Check-OUT.

It’s only available in Carbon and Aluminum.

Again, the main reason is front suspension. It also offers wireless electronic SRAM AXS shifting, which is a bit tempting.

I had a test ride on the Check-OUT and it does feel fantastic.

I’ve broken 3 rear racks in the past โ€” and much appreciate the built-in variation invented for the Checkout.

Click PLAY or watch the pitch on YouTube.

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WindQuester Horizon Lite 2 Pro Tent – Unboxing & First Look

BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Without reading any instructions โ€”ย or watching any videos โ€”ย I set up the NEW freestanding Horizon Lite 2 Pro. ๐Ÿ˜€

It was easy.

Happy Camper

I like the bright Seafoam Blue colours.

DAC FeatherLiteโ„ข NFL poles, YKK zippers, DAC J-stakes, Dyneemaยฎ core guylines, a stuff sack, and repair kit.

Details.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

WindQuester has asked me to do some testing in the real world on my upcoming hiking trip to the Balkans, Dolomites, and beyond.

It weighs almost 3 pounds (1.33 kg). My 1-person Hubba weighs about 2 pounds, by comparison. But many solo bikepackers (like Ryan Van Duzer) carry a 2 person tent in order to get all of their gear out of sight at night. Worth the extra weight for more space.

The WindQuester pole is shorter than the Hubba. Nice as I bring all my gear on to planes as carry on.

Click PLAY or watch the WindQuester OFFICIAL set-up on YouTube.

Is it good in the wind? See for yourself.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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What Hiking GEAR Does Dan Durston Use Himself?

Dan Durston isย an accomplished Canadian thru hiker, former environmental biologist, and the founder and product architect ofย Durston Gear, based in Golden, British Columbia.ย 

Dan’s Packs and Tents are super popular in 2026.

Long video โ€”ย but I found it interesting.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.