Category: coastal

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Hiking St. George’s, Bermuda

trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

St. George’s was the first part of Bermuda to be extensively colonized, and the town of St. George’s contains many of the territory’s oldest buildings.

It’s claimed to be the oldest continuously-inhabited English town in the New World.

While visiting I walked all parts of the island many times. Here are some highlights.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

That footage is shot using the Osmo Mobile 2 gimbal with an iPhone X.

Though the gimbal weighs 485g (17oz) I’ll be carrying it on many future hikes.

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hiking the Lofoten Islands, Norway

travel2walk posted a very detailed trip report on how to hike Lofoten north of the Arctic Circle.

The Lofoten Islands are characterised by their mountains and peaks, sheltered inlets, stretches of seashore and large virgin areas. …

May and June are the driest months, while October has three times as much precipitation. …

The easiest way to get there is to fly Oslo to Bodø.

Read the trip report.

If interested in organizing something for yourself, check this Lofoten hiking guidebook and website.

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North Coast Trail, Vancouver Island

My Feet Hurt:

I hiked the North Coast Trail from August 27 to September 1 in 2014.  I spent 5 nights and 6 days on the trail.

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6

The North Coast Trail might be very, very tough.

We recommend easier alternatives to the standard route. There are other similar hikes on Vancouver Island of course, all easier than the NCT.

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day hike Parque Nacional Chiloe in Chile

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Most hikers bypass the island of Chiloe en route to bigger adventure destinations in Patagonia.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse of my hike on YouTube.

That’s the Chiloé National Park. The southern section near the village of Cucao. Entrance fee $3 in 2018.

It includes zones of dunes, Valdivian temperate rain forests, swamps, and peat bogs. The huge beach was easily my favourite part.

No need to make a trip only to hike. But if you get close, it’s definitely worth a day.

On the same trip hike nearby Tantauco Park.

Learn more about Parque Nacional Chiloe on YouTube.

 

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walking Vina del Mar to Valparaíso, Chile

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

People from the BIG CITY of Santiago love to escape to Valparaíso on the coast.

Valpo is popular with tourists who enjoy the city’s labyrinth of cobbled alleys and colorful buildings.

It has a a mild Mediterranean climate.

In 1996, the World Monuments Fund declared Valparaíso’s unusual system of funicular lifts (steeply inclined carriages) one of the world’s 100 most endangered historical treasures.

Valparaíso is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I decided to walk to Valpo along the coast from Viña del Mar, an upscale suburb to the north famed for great beaches.

Having walked the beaches the previous evening, I started near the castle.

There were plenty of runners and cyclists, but not many walkers.

Birds are always a highlight in Chile. Pelicans have always been some of my favourites.

Originally a port and fishing centre, much of the coast has not been improved for pedestrians.

Some has.

Fishermen use mobile phones now.

There’s a lot of traffic on the coastal road. At one point you are pushed inland by train tracks.

Parts of this 3 hour walk I did enjoy.

Other sections I found annoying. Graffiti EVERYWHERE was starting to bother me.

A real highlight near Valpo is watching sea lions close up on this abandoned concrete structure. It’s amazing they can get up there. It’s entertaining to watch them negotiate who gets the prime real estate. And who gets pushed off back into the sea.

The best part was arriving in Valparaíso and joining a free (for tips) walking tour. The daughter of one of the gentlemen in our group had tons of fun sliding down a cement ramp.

All in all I wished I’d — instead — spent my time hiking out at Parque Nacional La Campana.