Category: coastal

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Climbing Segla (Sail) Mountain on Senja Island, Norway

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

The main reason we make the long trip to Senja Island is to climb high and enjoy otherworldly views.

Click PLAY or see Segla mountain and others on the island on YouTube.

Senja is even further north than famed Lofoten archipelago , but is equally spectacular in places.

The jumping off point is remote Fjordgård, not easy to reach by bicycle.

I camped for free along the ocean. A very windy night.

The east side of Segla starts rising gently, whereas the steep cliffs on the west side drop directly into the fjord. The EASY route is still challenging near the top. You’ll be using your hands.

BUT first it’s recommended to do the Hesten hike, rewarding you with the most impressive looks at the peak. 3.7 km return. Hesten is 556m.

Next climb Segla itself, if you have the energy.

Around 4km return. Perhaps 2 hours up, 1 hour down — IF you move steadily. Weather is the main factor. It can switch from sun to rain storm in just a few minutes.

Click PLAY or watch my video highlights MUSIC video 😀 on YouTube.

related – detailed trip report by Worldering Around – Segla, Senja Island – Best View Of The Iconic Mountain From Hesten Hike

June to September are the best months.

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Hiking Arctic Norway – Barheia, Lyngen Alps

Trip Report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Click PLAY or watch a #shorts on YouTube.

Barheia is not one of the famous hikes. In fact, I only learned of it from a hiking guidebook I found at a nearby hostel.

MOST day hikes here required a lot of vertical before getting to the great vistas.

Only 350m? Only 1 hour?

Let’s GO.

It’s about 6.8km return from the trailhead — once you find it well above the highway campground.

AND it’s very conveniently located in Svensby, close to the ferry dock. You can easily walk from the ferry.

Most tourists drive right past on their way to the most popular day hike in the area, Blåisvatnet (the Blue Lake). Personally I enjoyed Barheia much better. AND had the summit to myself. The Blue Lake trail is crowded with hikers high season.

Confusingly, there’s a trailhead sign close to the campground on the highway. But the start is actually higher up the mountain, well above the campers.

Once there, you can’t get lost as it’s blazed red. Useful when the snow falls.

related – Wild Planet trip report

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Climbing Fløya, out of Tromsø, Norway

I flew to Tromsø to begin a long bikepacking tour of the west coast.

Sadly, SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) accepted money from me ➙ then didn’t deliver my bicycle and gear to Norway. It sat untouched at Heathrow airport for days. 🤨

Airlines should not offer flights if they don’t have what they need to deliver.

On the upside, there is excellent hiking out of Tromsø.

Click PLAY or see highlights on YouTube.

Tromsø is 350 kilometres (217 mi) north of the Arctic Circle.  The summer sun doesn’t set until July 27th.  I was there July 24th.

At 69°, it is north of Reykjavík, for example. 

On my only other hiking trip to Norway I made it as far north as the Lofoten Islands, but not to Tromsø.

I climbed over 1200 stone steps built by Nepalese starting 2016. In Norwegian, they are called the Sherpatrappa.

Most people stop at the restaurant atop the cable car. There’s an excellent view from the deck and atop a nearby rock cliff.

But if you continue UP look for a climbing hut known as Steinbøhytta. You can sleep there for free.

This day there were a number of reindeer grazing. They seemed unperturbed by hikers — but this big male reacted badly when encountering my backpack unexpectedly. Perhaps it looked something like a carnivore in the rocks.

You can drive or take a bus to the start. But many simply walk across the bridge from town, visiting the Arctic Cathedral on the way.

By Oursinbenjamin

If you get to remote Tromsø, don’t miss this vista.

I took the Sherpa stairs back down. But there are alternative trails descending.

AllTrails recommends a loop they call Sherpatrappa and Dalbergstien.

related – 7 Easy Hikes With Spectacular Views In Tromso, Norway

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Hiking Moorecroft Park, Vancouver Island

My favourite place to fly a drone close to Nanaimo is Moorecroft Regional Park.

It’s gorgeous, yet very little known or visited.

A former youth camp, it was purchased 2011 from the BC Conference of the United Church of Canada and is now managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

It is on AllTrails.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

If you get the chance, you won’t regret visiting Moorecroft.

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ʔapsčiik t̓ašii Trail, Vancouver Island

Yep. That is the official name.

It’s prounounced ups-cheek ta-shee.

It a wonderful part of the world.

In the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve between Tofino and Ucluelet.

Close — as the crow flies — to famed West Coast Trail.

ʔapsčiik t̓ašii means “going the right direction on the path.”

It can also be translated to “do the right thing and speak truthfully“.

TOFINO — Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, the Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ Government and Parks Canada joined this week in welcoming visitors to use a new multi-use pathway at the Combers Beach trailhead in the Pacific Rim National Parks Reserve.

The path, which extends around 25 kilometres, traverses through the traditional territories of Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation and Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ, on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

It is the result of nearly $51 million in federal funding and offers visitors and locals an opportunity to explore the region’s lush rainforests by bike or foot. …

Times Colonist

Official web page.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Rain in Spain – Camino Finisterre

Pilgrims who walk or cycle to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral on the Camino de Santiago celebrate — then decide whether to continue on to Finisterre on the coast. That name is from the Latin for “end of the earth“.

That’s an additional 88.9 km (54 miles) by the most popular route.

This N.W. corner of Spain — Galicia — is the rainiest.

The Stingy Nomads had one of their worst, and best, hiking days while on the Camino Finisterre.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Weather was bad when I reached Santiago on my 6 day cycling adventure from León, Spain .

I’m happy I cycled rather than walked. There is a lot of pavement. 😀

I decided to sign up for a very inexpensive (25€) all day van tour offered through my accommodation, the excellent Albergue Seminario Menor:

A Costa da Morte – Finisterre

  • Noia
  • Muros
  • Carnota
  • Corcubión
  • Finisterre

A few photos from my trip:

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Juan de Fuca Marine Trail, Vancouver Island

The most famous hiking adventure in Canada is the West Coast Trail out of Port Renfrew on Vancouver Island.

Port Renfrew is also the trailhead for the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail — yet no reservation is required. It’s the best back-up plan if you can’t get a reservation for the WCT.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

IF you plan to hike Juan de Fuca, be sure to read our Juan de Fuca Information page. Especially details on the tides.

This is one of our best hikes in North America.

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#7 –  Otter Trail, South Africa

The Otter Trail is one of our top 10 hikes in the world.

Why?

Lush forests, rugged shorelines, river crossings, waterfalls and fragrant fynbos make this adventure at the southern tip of Africa unique. It’s strenuous, with lots of ups and downs …

  • non-stop superb hiking
  • one of our top 10 coastal hikes in the world
  • Storms River Mouth to Nature’s Valley
  • 42km
  • 5 days, 4 nights
  • huts or tenting
  • permits are difficult to get as only 12 hikers start each day. December and Easter holidays are highest demand.
  • Recommended to book 12 months in advance. (Because folks book so early, it’s often possible to get a last minute cancellation spot.)

World → Australasia → New Zealand → Tongariro Circuit

CNN
... one way to cross the Bloekrantz
River crossings are a challenge.

Click PLAY or watch a 1 minute preview on YouTube.

For details click over to our Otter Trail Information page.

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CLOSED Hesquiat Peninsula Trail, Vancouver Island

West Coast Wonders offers a guided fly-in hike over 6-8 days.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

It’s also known as the Escalante Trail as most hikers start at Escalante Point.

Accessing this coastal route requires either a float plane out of Gold River or water taxi from Gold River or Tofino. Or you might be able to kayak.

Hesquiat Peninsula Provincial Park is situated on the west coast of Vancouver Island and occupies most of the eastern shore of Nootka Sound. (MAP) This park is a significant tourism corridor for rugged coastal hiking, boating and sea kayaking. …

This prominent low-elevation peninsula is a significant wilderness area protecting heritage sites, representative old-growth forest stands of Sitka spruce, lodgepole pine, white pine and yellow-cedar and a freshwater lake. The park also encompasses a variety of coastal ecosystems including extensive off-shore reefs, boulder, cobble and sand beaches, sea caves, sheltered bays, kelp beds and mudflats.

This wilderness park has numerous hazards and is in a remote area of the coast. Kayaking and hiking along the shores of the Hesquiat Peninsula is recommended for experienced paddlers and hikers only. This undeveloped wilderness park has no facilities, however backcountry camping is allowed.

If you want to know more, download the Wild Isle brochure.

Trip reports:

Michael Paskevicius (2017)

Wolverine (2004)

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Hiking Westernmost Europe – Cabo da Roca Lighthouse

Trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Cabo da Roca or Cape Roca forms the westernmost point of the Sintra Mountain Range, of mainland Portugal, of continental Europe, and of the Eurasian landmass.

It’s a popular day trip from the tourist town Sintra and from Lisbon.

Most photographed is Cabo da Roca Lighthouse situated on a promontory that juts out into the ocean.

Many hike both north and south from here. Villages are conveniently connected by bus.

I actually took the bus from Sintra for some late afternoon day hiking. It’s crowded. But a lovely spot.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

The other great hike is away from the Sintra National Palace itself. Up to the Pena Palace.