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October 15, 2026October 16, 2026

Camino del Norte, Spain. French border to Bilbao.

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.

I had A.I. software remake me into a proper pilgrim. 😀

I cycled 300+km of the French Way in 2022. That was terrific. It’s the most popular of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage routes.

By comparison, the Camino del Norte (Northern Way) totals 817 kilometres (508 mi) across northern Spain from the border with France to Santiago de Compostela. It’s only the 6th most popular of the many Caminos. Over 21,000 pilgrims / year.

SO … in 2026 I did 6 days from French border town Irun to tourist mecca Bilbao.

The red section on the map below.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse of what it’s like on YouTube.

Camino pilgrimage routes attract many different kinds of people. Much different than on other thru hikes, I find. Some are spiritual seekers & reflective travellers. The highlights for others are the food, history, and culture.

Since the Camino del Norte attracts less than 5% of the Camino Francés numbers, accommodations are not all booked. It’s not nearly as crowded.

Many feel Irun to Bilbao is the best and most scenic section of the Camino del Norte.

Steep climbs, rugged coastal cliffs, and longer stretches between services make the START of the Northern Way the most challenging.

I stayed in combination of albergues (pilgrim hostels), hostels, and emergency tent one night. Accommodation is quite inexpensive.

Flying into Bilbao

It’s easy and comparatively inexpensive to fly into Bilbao.

I arrived late night on an inexpensive flight.

More PHOTOS.

Bilbao downtown Guggenheim museum titanium metallic facade by night

I picked up my Camino de Santiago pilgrim passport (credencial del peregrino) at the Cathedral. This gains you entrance into some of the pilgrim accommodation en route.

Bus to Irún

It’s easy to find a direct bus to Irún close to the the French border.

I stayed at the Jakobi Pilgrim Hostel (Albergue de Peregrinos Jakobi) in Irun, the official starting point for the Camino del Norte. Payment is by donation.

Next morning, off and running.

The rain in Spain falls mainly in the NORTH. Over the coming week I had all kinds of weather, including lightning storm.

The Camino is well signed. I mostly used AllTrails to confirm turns. But it seemed there were many other apps in use.

There’s one ferry crossing – the Pasaia River.

First night I stayed just outside San Sebastián, a tourist city very competitive with Bilbao.

San Sebastián

Some stay 2 nights here as there’s a lot to see. I toured the town one evening and again the next morning.

This is the kind of place in Europe some feel is over-touristed.

San Sebastián is a beach town, popular with surfers.

Onward.

One problem with ALL the Caminos … you end up doing a lot of walking on concrete and cobblestone.

By day 6 I felt one of my feet was bruised.

Zarautz Beach

I did enjoy the coastal sections.

Getaria

I happened upon a hostel in Getaria that was just serving up dinner. I stayed.

Early next morning I wandered the town before many more people were awake.

Got an early start on the hiking day.

It’s a very rural area. Plenty of farm animals to keep you company.

Some vineyards.

And eventually back to the coast.

Mutriku

Sections are very remote.

No bus. You might ride a horse out. 😀

Markina-Xemein

Monasterio de Zenarruza

Everyone wants to stay at the Monastery. Paid by donation.

Meals and room are quite basic.

But the place is beautiful.

Guernica

The town of Guernica is infamous for the 1937 painting by Pablo Picasso.

One of the best known anti-war paintings. Nazis had bombed the people here relentlessly.

Many stay over in this historic city.

Bilbao

Early enough in the day, I walked on.

Skies darkened. I decided to wild camp before the rain. This is not legal — except in emergency situations like this one.

Surprisingly, I didn’t hear much about the Basque separatist movement.

With an even more torrential rain storm looming, I caught the first bus I saw on arrival to civilization to the centre of Bilbao. Happily, I made it to my very cool Pod Hostel before the worst of a deluge.

31 litres of rain / square meter in just a matter of minutes. It does rain in Spain.

Here I am at the Bilbao Cathedral. The rest of my clothes in the laundry. 😀

Bilbao Cathedral (Basilica of Saint James)

I’m considering a return to the Camino del Norte in future. Perhaps Vilalba to Santiago de Compostela, the final 100km. It merges with the bustling Camino Francés for the final 2 days of walking.

September 29, 2026October 8, 2026

Camino del Norte, Spain

Arriving Bilbao, Spain on Oct. 1, 2026.

Planning on some days on the Camino del Norte (Northern Way): Irún on the French border back to Bilbao.

The red section on the map below.

That’s about 149 kilometers (92.5 miles) across rugged Basque Country.

Many feel this is the best and most scenic section of the Camino del Norte.

I’ll be an official pilgrim, using the network of albergues (pilgrim hostels), hostels, and tenting.

I hope to visit Biarritz, France, as well. It’s close to Irún.

September 3, 2026September 3, 2026

Hiking Matka Canyon, North Macedonia

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.

Super popular out of Skopje, North Macedonia, are kayak and boat rides on a manmade lake in Matka Canyon. You can paddle into caves.

I skipped those — instead hiking a narrow trail carved out of the rock cliff.

It’s a maximum of 9.2 km out and back. The first 2 km are relatively easy — and that’s all I had time for.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

Here’s the dam that created the lake.

This place is popular. On weekends you might have to park 15 minutes away.

Almost everyone signs up for a boat ride or kayak rental.

Almost everyone enjoys a drink in one of the restaurants.

I took off immediately on the FREE hike. And saw no more than a dozen others on a busy day — and one dog.

It’s an interesting trail. Somebody decided to hang a kayak up on the cliffside.

Feel free to swim.

You can do this hike on your own. But it is included in many day tours out of Skopje. An easy way to get to the trailhead.

My tour included taking the cable car up to the Millennium Cross on Mount Vodno — BUT the cable car had been closed for a number of months.

It also included a fascinating stop at the Church of St. Panteleimon. Highly recommended.

Great views back down to Skopje from up here.

September 2, 2026August 24, 2026

Carnic Peace Trail, Austria

Also known as the Karnischer Höhenweg, (KHW 403) or Via della Pace, the Carnic Peace Trail is is a historic 150-kilometer (93-mile) long-distance hiking route following the former World War I frontline along the Austrian-Italian border.

It’s one of those European hut-to-hut only hikes, so buy the guidebook and book months in advance.

If you opt to do the entire thing, it 170km (106 miles) along the crest of the Carnic Alps, this dramatic high-level trail combines panoramic summits, wartime history and classic alpine hut-to-hut trekking across a landscape shaped by geology and conflict.

There are some challenging sections.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

August 29, 2026

Hiking Ladder of Kotor, Montenegro

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles.

The best hike directly from the tourist trap old city is Kotor Fortress.

But it costs 15 Euros (17.30 US) in 2026. They keep raising the price of this short day hike.

An alternative is Ladder of Kotor which goes higher. And is free.

Climb as high as you like. Return the same way — or on other trails down. It’s a maze of trails.

I stopped once I reached the goats. 😀

It’s very hot in the summer. Because I was there end of August, I started as early in the morning as possible.

I had the old city to myself early morning.

Click PLAY or get a glimpse on YouTube.

Here’s the view over to the top of Kotor Fortress.

There are some ruins, as well. All open to exploration.

19th-century mountain path featuring roughly 70 hairpin switchbacks that climb from sea level up to the Krstac Pass.

Footing is not bad, but expect uneven, rocky switchbacks, loose gravel, and rugged limestone paths.

It’s a recommended short day hike.

Comparing the two main Kotor hikes.

August 27, 2026August 26, 2026

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 the San Giovanni Castle ruins. I was hoping for moonrise — 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.

August 18, 2026August 23, 2026

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.

July 9, 2026July 2, 2026

Visiting Lesotho 2014

Repost from 2014. The only time I ever visited Lesotho.

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

The landlocked mountain kingdom of Lesotho is an enclave completely surrounded by South Africa.

LESOTHO

Population just over two million, about 40% of the population lives below the international poverty line of US $1.25 a day. It’s one of the poorest nations on Earth.

The easiest way to hike Lesotho is by guided day tour ($50) out of Amphitheater Backpackers in the northern Drakensberg.

Our first stop was at Mafika-Lisiu school, the only one for many miles. Amphitheater Backpackers built a classroom.

One of the teachers joined us as an assistant guide. Local information, first hand.

This teacher has been waiting nearly 2yrs for a visa that would allow him to visit South Africa as a tourist.

Lesotho once had the opportunity to join South Africa, but the leaders — considered very corrupt — declined.

Many families here are self-sufficient, not much using currency. Maize is the primary crop. 75% of the population is rural.

No electricity. No formal shops. The school does have a football field.

From the school we hiked up to see some of the famous cave paintings.

Sadly, many had been defaced.

Again we saw plentiful bird life, but no wildlife. This was the wildest creature en route.

From the caves our group had the option to extend the hike up on to a ridge.

Hans loved the tranquility of the valley.

There are “roads” in Lesotho, but most are awful.

Hans signed on for the tour because he wanted to see a traditional African healer.

She’s entirely self-taught. Her healing ability is a “gift” first revealed in dreams.

Here is her home.

I’m a skeptic of natural medicine. But most people in Lesotho do not have the money nor transportation to make the long trip to a clinic or hospital. She is all they’ve got.

Her bedside manner is excellent. Warm and charismatic.

One tidbit we learned is that the traditional round houses with thatched roofs are slowly being phased out. Thatch is expensive in 2014. And must be replaced regularly.

Children here do not have much. The healer married at age-20 and had had 8 children.

Kids seem to roam about unattended by parents. They are raised (and disciplined) by the village.

AIDS infects about ⅓ of the population. But we heard nothing of that on the tour.

Theft of animals is the most worrisome “crime” in Lesotho. Though the kids are ignored, valuable stock animals are watched closely.

One local man was trying to chase down a young cow while we were there. 🙂

more photos

Full disclosure: I had been booked on a serious 8hr mountain climb for this day. But opted out, switching to the Lesotho cultural tour instead. After only one day in the summer sun, I was too sunburned to risk a tough climb.

March 20, 2026March 20, 2026

Hiking the Popeye Cliffs, Malta

Trip report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

My first hike in Malta was organized by Marco Polo hostel in St.Julian’s. In fact, they offer a tour for customers almost every day.

Leaving the hostel before 2pm, we first took the public bus to Popeye Village, a purpose-built film set village for the 1980 live-action musical feature film Popeye starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall.

Opting not to join the tourists down there, we instead headed out on what Google Maps calls the Popeye cliffs.

The ocean clear and gorgeous.

From there you have many options. Our volunteer guide, Paty, took us along the cliffs for some kilometres, then inland where we stopped to tour an impressive farm.

Most of Malta’s food is imported — but they grow terrific strawberries.

Malta is one of the the most densely populated nations on earth. These cliffs are one place you can get away from people.

It’s densely populated with tourists and retiree expats, as well. 😀

Our group split at this point. I stayed with Paty for the beautiful sunset.

We then continued to the town of Mellieha to see the Church of Paris. Service was in progress.

Finally, to the nearby Miraculous Grotto. An underground natural cave which was consecrated as a church at some point in distant history. According to tradition, the cave was originally a place of worship for the nymph Calypso, but it became a Christian site after St Paul‘s shipwreck on Malta in 60 AD.

It was back to the hostel by 9pm. The other half of our group had finished earlier, carrying on at the popular hostel Bar.

The other Canadian on the trip, age-19, was learning about hostel party life.