Category: coastal

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2024 West Coast Trail: Reservations

The West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island, Canada is our #1 hike in the world.

It’s not easy to get a permit.

Reservations can be made for the coming summer at 8 a.m. PST January 22, 2024.

Be online with one or more devices and be ready to apply as quickly as possible. With luck, you’ll get on to the wait list.

Details on the Parks Canada West Coast Trail: Reservations page.

We have a HOW TO SURVIVE THE WEST COAST TRAIL playlist on YouTube. It includes all potential hazards. 😀

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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I’m BOOKED ➙ Faroe Islands, Summer 2024

by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Postponed in 2023 … this time I made my reservations 10 months in advance to get the ferries I wanted. And inexpensive accommodation.

I can cancel accommodation at no cost.

If I eventually have to cancel the ferries, I’ll pay 10% of the € 337 total cost for me, my bike, and a bunkbed on the ship.

The Faroe Islands are expensive and in high demand, high season. Far less so if you book long ahead of time.

Mulafossur waterfall in Gasadalur

July 27th – depart Hirtshals (Denmark) on the Smyril ferry

July 28th – arrive Tórshavn (Faroe Islands)

Aug 7th – depart Tórshavn

Aug 8th – arrive Seyðisfjörður (Iceland) at 8:30am

That gives me 9 full days for cycling and hiking. Weather is a factor, of course. Faroe Islands are just south of the Arctic Circle.

Cycling Faroe Islands – Generated with AI ∙Dall-E 3

The more days, the more opportunity for clear skies. 😀

I booked during the Olympics.

IF it rains 😀, I’ll instead be following the action in Paris online. Indoors.

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Climbing Flakstadtinden, Lofoten, Norway

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

I enjoyed hiking Sandbotnen beach to Ryten Summit out of Fredvang.

Definitely one of the best hikes in Norway. Almost every hiker has Ryten on their Lofoten list.

Everyone en route to Ryten from Ramberg sees this nearby imposing triangular peak. Much less well known.

Flakstadtinden

Surprisingly, it’s quite easy to hike from the backside. There are at least 2 trailheads.

It only takes a couple of hours to get up and down.

Wait on good weather. The views are terrific in every direction.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

AllTrails – Flakstadtinden

68North – FLAKSTADTIND HIKING GUIDE

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Hiking Segla & Hesten, Arctic Norway

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Click PLAY or watch get a glimpse on YouTube.

I climbed famed Segla in 2022.

In 2023, returned and climbed Hesten. Set up my tent.

 5.3-km out-and-back.

Wait on the weather. You want the summit of Segla to be visible.

The best views of Segla are from Hesten.

Hikers on Heston looking over to Segla

There are a couple of trails up and down Heston. Some require scrambling.

Best months are June through September.

Ximonic (Simo Räsänen) 

The views are spectacular. This is definitely one of the very best hikes in Norway.

Looks good?

First you need to get to Senja Island in remote Arctic Norway. 😀

More photos.

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Cycling / Hiking Norway 2023

by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Summers 2022 and 2023 I cycled and hiked the west coast of Norway.

Mostly on the Eurovelo 1. Perhaps half of the Norway section.

On my personal website, I posted 3 trip reports and VIDEOS. Cycling is a great (and inexpensive) way to get to the wonderful hikes in Norway. 😀

Wild camping is free by law almost everywhere in Norway.

1. Cycling Arctic Norway ➙ Lyngen Alps to Lofoten

Trip report.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

2. Cycling / Hiking Arctic Norway ➙ Lofoten

Trip report

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

3. Cycling Norway – Bodø to Trondheim

+ Kristiansund & Atlantic Road

Trip report.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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BEST Lofoten Hiking Video – Norway

Harmen Hoek was there in Arctic Norway June 2023. Got some fantastic weather.

On day 1 and 2 I hiked the Matmora ridge, day 3 to the frozen lake of Botnvatnet.

On day 4 I made it to Vestvågøya island and hiked towards Leknes via Dalstuva where I camped on top of the mountain.

On day 5 I watched the midnight sun above the clouds at 3am, and the next morning I hiked down to Konsfjordpollen to spend a night inside.

On day 6 I started hiking on Moskenesøya and hiked to Ryten peak, Kvalvika beach and Horseidvika beach.

On day 7 I hiked to Kjerkfjorden and took the ferry to Vindstad.

I finished with climbing Hermannsdalstinden.

On day 8 I got to Å, and spent the night next to Ågvatnet.

On day 9 I climbed over a tricky pass to Gjerdvika and Turtnbakkvika beach where I spent the night.

On day 10 I got back to Å.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

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Hiking Brosmetinden out of Tromsø, Norway

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

I flew to Tromsø — well above the Arctic Circle — to begin a long bikepacking tour of the west coast.

In good weather there are MANY great hikes out of Tromsø — but the best close to town looked to be Brosmetinden.

I was inspired by the post by local hiker Maria Wulff Hauglann:

7 Easy Hikes With Spectacular Views In Tromso, Norway

I followed Maria’s recommendations, using AllTrails for navigation.

The 1-hour drive (from downtown Tromso) out to where the Brosmetind walking path starts is fantastic too.

… valleys with tall peaky mountains that go straight into the sea.

One of these fjords is Grotfjord. You should make a stop in Grotfjord and walk along the huge white-sandy beach.

You will have an awesome panoramic view from the start to finish. So if you don’t have to go all the way to the top to get a great view. You can turn around whenever you want …

  • Height: 525 meters above sea level
  • Distance to walk: 4 km both ways
  • Time: 1-2 hours (round-trip)

How to get there by bus: Take the district bus no. 425 to Tromvik or Rekvik, and walk from there to the starting point of the hiking path to Brosmetinden. Tell the driver that you want to hike Brosmetinden and he will let you off at the right place.

You can purchase tickets on board the bus, but cash payments only, or you can buy a ticket through the app “Troms Billett”. You can check the bus schedule HERE (search the Travel Planner from “Tromsø Prostneset” to “Rekvikvegen (Tromsø)” or through the app “Troms Reise”.

I hiked on Canada Day – July 1st. Wore my CANADA clothing. 🇨🇦

Weather was sunny — but super windy. Too windy to fly the drone. But it was nice to have enough wind to blow away the mosquitoes and horseflies.

It’s a quick hike to reach the sea cliffs. And a scenic scramble up to the top.

I camped at Grotfjord beach, on Maria’s recommendation.

An excellent short day hike — but quite a detour off the usual tourist route.

I cycled an extra 64km to get there.

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Cinque Terre, Italy – Porto Venere to Manarola

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

In 2010, I hiked the famed Sentiero Azzurro aka Verde Azzurro path, or “Blue trail”.

It connected the 5 main villages of the the Cinque Terre National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Riomaggiore to Monterosso al Mare.

Sadly, since 2011 sections of the classic have been closed.

Returning in 2023, I decided to do part of the most popular alternative, the Sentiero Rosso aka Cinque Terre High Path.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

A LOT of ascent and descent. But gorgeous vistas from high up.

Took the train to La Spezia. Then the local bus to Porto Venere.

A pretty town.

Starting the hike north, immediately you find the impressive Doria Castle.

EPSON DSC picture

The trail takes you high above the ocean with terrific views in each direction. There are some very narrow pathways, but no real exposure.

I found a quiet spot, just before dark, to put up my tent.

Early next morning I arrived at the impressive Santuario di Montenero. The priest came out, interested in my drone. I showed him how it worked and later sent him this video.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Flowers bloom in profusion in June. You can see why everyone loves these trails.

I climbed WAY DOWN to Riomaggiore. A charming seaside town.

At tourist information, I confirmed that the original Blue trail was still closed. Got a map and directions for the best high route.

The tunnel by the railway station was a highlight for me.

Up, up, up.

More amazing vistas from up high.

Finally, I caught the train in Corniglia, a little further on from Manarola. It was nice to have the freedom to finish the day whenever I wanted.

YES, the Cinque Terre is touristy. But taking the high trails mostly gets you away from the mobs.

I highly recommend this hiking destination.

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Surviving the Kalalau Trail, Hawaii

I met Blake and Eli cycling the Tuscany Trail in Italy.

World travellers, they’ve been living and working online from locations like Hawaii, Australia, Bali & Thailand.

Living the dream.

Click PLAY or watch one of their hikes on YouTube. Subscribe to the channel if you enjoy it.

Kalalau is one of our Top 10 coastal hikes in the world.

Details.

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Cinque Terre, Italy – Riomaggiore & Santuario di Montenero

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Riomaggiore is 1st of the famous 5 villages of Cinque Terre.

Hiking in from Porto Venere, the highlight for me was the Santuario di Montenero, a Catholic church & monastery perched overlooking Riomaggiore.

I met the priest who was keen to see how my drone worked. I put this short video together for him.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Mathew conducts service in all 5 villages. I told him he had the best congregations in Italy.

He didn’t disagree.