European long-distance paths

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Map of european long-distance paths
Map of european long-distance paths

The European long-distance paths are a network of extremely long-distance footpaths that traverse Europe. While most long-distance footpaths in Europe are located in just one country or region, each of the European long-distance paths passes through many different countries.

The European long-distance paths were designated by the European Ramblers' Association.[1] In general the routes make use of existing national and local trails such as the GR footpaths.

Below is a list of all 11 European long-distance paths:

Contents

[edit] European walking route E1

The European walking route E1
The European walking route E1

European walking route E1 has a total length of some 4960 km. It begins in Sweden, and crosses the Kattegat between Sweden and Denmark by ferry. It reaches Italy, Scapoli through Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. This path is planned to connect in Northern direction to Nordkapp, Norway and in a southern direction to Sicily, in Italy.

Detailed description of the route:

[edit] Sweden

The path starts at Grövelsjön (Grövel Lake), which lies on the Norwegian-Swedish border and is the northernmost point of Europe reached by European long distance paths)
The path continues to Varberg, a small town on the coast south of Göteborg. Varberg is where the ferry to Denmark starts from.
Total length of the path in Sweden: appr. 1200 km

[edit] Denmark

Grenå–Viborg
This section of the route was finished and inaugurated in 2006, but I have not found any information about it.
But there are many national cycle routes in Denmark. Cycle route number 2 goes between Grenå and Viborg via the town of Randers.
Length of the path: appr. 130 km

Viborg–Padborg
This section is called Hærvejen in Danish and consists of a footpath and a cycle track parallel to each other between the towns of Viborg and Padborg.

Detaled description of the route of the path:
Viborg to Sjørup along the shore of Hald Lake – Christianshøj – Sepstrup – Boest – Nørre Snede – Nørre Kollemorten – Jelling – Lake Farup – Bredstein – Bække – Vejen – Jels – Vojens – Rødekro – Hjordkær – Kliplev – Padborg
Length of the path : 250 km

Total length of the path in Denmark: appr. 380 km

External links:

  • Hærvejen – – the official website of the E1 route in Denmark (in English)


The Danish–German border is crossed between Padborg (Denmark) and Flensburg (Germany)

[edit] Germany

1. The route in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg
On the first section the E1 European walking route goes together with the E6 route. The path begins at the border station Kupfermühle close to Flensburg and leads through town Flensburg and Schleswig. It touches the Naturpark "Hüttener Berge" and goes parallel with the coast of Ostsee until town Kiel.
After Kiel it goes via Preetz, Plön, Malante-Gremsmühlen, Eutin and Neustadt towards Lübeck. It goes on via Ratzeburg and Mölln until Güster – here the path of the E1 branch out from E6. Beside Hamburg the route crosses the Elbe.

Kupfermühle – Sankelmark – Schleswig – Ascheffel – Aschau - Strande – Kiel - Preetz – Niederkleveez - Schönwalde am Bungsberg – Klingberg - Kreutzkamp – Krummesee - Mölln – Güster - Witzhave – Hamburg
Length of the route: 415 km

2. The route in Niedersachsen

Hamburg – Fishbek – Buchholz am Nordheide – Undeloh – Soltau – Müden – Celle – Führberg – Otternhagen – Haste – Springe – Hameln – Bösingfeld
Length of the route: 339 km

3. The route in Nordrhein-Westfalen

Bösingfeld – Lemgo – Horn Bad Meindberg – Herbrahmwald – Blankerode – Marsberg – 12 kmWirminghausen – Schwalefeld – Altastenburg – Bad Berleburg – Bad Laasphe – Lahnhof – Siegen – Herdorf
Length of the route: 276 km

4. The route in Rheinland-Pfalz

Herdorf – Fuchskaute – Unnau – Selters – Montabaur – Nassau – Balduinstein – Michelbach – Idstein
Length of the route: 169 km

5. The route in Hessen

Idstein – Oberursel – Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen – Dreieichenhain – Ober-Ramstadt – Bensheim – Nieder-Liebersbach – Heidelberg
Length of the route: 166,5 km

6. The route in Baden-Württenberg

The E1 in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). This section follows pre-existing long-distance paths through the Black Forest. Initially it follows the Schwarzwald Hochweg Westweg (Westway) from Town Heidelberg-Schlierbach – Rauenberg - Odenheim – Bretten – Pforzheim – Dobel – Forbach via Kaiser-Wilheim-Turm (984 m, lookout tower) – Mummelsee (Lake Mummel) via Badener Höhe (1001 m) – village Hausach – Titisee (Lake Titi) – peak of Feldberg (1487 m) – Schluchsee to Kappel. From there it follows the Schwarzwald-Querweg Freiburg-Bodensee to Boll, Riedöschingen, Engen, Singen, Langenrain and Konstanz
Length of this section: 464 km

Total length of the path in Germany: 1829,5 km

External links:

[edit] Switzerland

The path of the E1 leads via Rapperswil, Einsiedeln, Vierwaldstattersee, Gotthardpass and Tessin towards Porto Ceresio, Italy.

Total length of the route in Switzerland: appr. 400 km

[edit] Italy

via Lake Maggiore, Ticino Valley into Ligurian Mountains (there is a spur to the Mediterranean at Genova) to Passo della Bochetta via Lake Maggiore, Ticino Valley into Ligurian Mountains (there is a spur to the Mediterranean at Genova) to Passo della Bochetta
Length of the route: appr. 200 km

through eastern part of Ligurian Mountains (Alta Via dei Monti Liguri) to Passo dei Due Santi
Length of the route: appr. 150 km

along Appennine ridge through Tuscany (Grande Escursione Appenninica) to Bocca Trabaria
Length of the route: appr. 400 km

along Appennine ridge through Umbria to Castelluccio
Length of the route: appr. 200 km

through mountains along Abruzzo/Lazio border: Simbruini, Ernici, Abruzzo national park to Lazio/Molise border at Scapoli
Length of the route: appr. 200 km

Totel length of the route in Italy: 1150 km

There is a plan to lengthen the route of E1 towards South Italy and Sycilia through the Appanine.

[edit] European walking route E2

The European walking route E2 is a 4850km long-distance footpath that runs from Galway in Ireland to France's Mediterranean coast, via Scotland, England, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. It is one of the network of European long-distance paths.

The route is aimed at walkers; alternative routes exist in some parts for horse riders and cyclists.

[edit] Route

In Scotland the route starts from Stranraer and uses the Southern Upland Way and St. Cuthbert's Way.

In England the route uses the Pennine Way, the Gritstone Trail, the Staffordshire Way, the Heart of England Way, the Oxfordshire Way, the Oxford Canal, the Thames Path, the Wey South Path and the North Downs Way to Dover.

In Belgium the route starts from Ostend. Near Zoersel it joins the GR 5, which it follows through Luxembourg and France to the finish at Nice.

[edit] Alternative route

The trail splits into two alternative routes whilst running through England and Belgium. The eastern route also passes through the Netherlands.

In England, the alternative routes split at Middleton-in-Teesdale. The eastern route travels via Cambridge to Harwich, using the Teesdale Way, the Cleveland Way, the Wolds Way, the Viking Way, the Hereward Way, the Fen Rivers Way, Icknield Way, the Stour Valley Path and the Essex Way.

In the Netherlands the eastern route begins again at Hoek van Holland, and joins the GR 5 at Bergen op Zoom.

The two routes rejoin near Zoersel.

[edit] European walking route E3

See also: European walking route E3

The Spanish portion of this route follows the Way of St. James, and specifically the French Way.

[edit] European walking route E4

The European walking route E4
The European walking route E4
See also: European walking route E4

This long distance path starts in Spain at the southernmost point of the continent and leads through France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, ending in Greece. It visits Crete and Cyprus among the Greek islands.
Its length is more than 10.000 km, but you can find here exact data only about its Austrian and Hungarian sections. The route of this long distance path isn't signed yet in Romania and partly in Bulgaria, and the total length of E4 doesn't include the length of the Romanian and Bulgarian sections.

[edit] Spain

from:Tarifa, southernmost point of mainland Spain
through mountains of Andalucia, Murcia and Valencia via Ronda, Alhama de Granada, Moratalla, Alcoi, Requena, Morella (GR7)
2300 km
Puigcerda in Pyrenees E of Andorra
Catalan coast at Ulldecona (GR8), Tarragona via Catalan coast path (GR92), Montserrat (GR172), then GR4 into Pyrenees
450 km

[edit] France

Montagne Noire Via Mont Canigou and Carcassonne (GR36), Villefort
through Haut Languedoc and Cévennes (GR71, 7, 72), Ardèche and Rhône valleys east via GR44, 4, 42, 429, Swiss border near Geneva
N through Vercors, Grenoble, Chartreuse and Culoz (GR9)
1100 km

[edit] Switzerland

Chemin des Crêtes du Jura/Jurahöhenweg through north of country
- 300 km
along S shores of Lake Constance
150 km

[edit] Germany/Austria

Alternative 1:
On the route of Nordalpine Weitwanderweg 01 (Nordalpine route 01) are exposed stretches - for experienced mountain walkers only

1. Western section of the route – 495 km
through Bregenzer Wald, Lechquellengebirge, Lechtaler Alpen, Wetterstein-gebirge, Karwendelgebirge and Rofangebirge:

Bregenz (440 m) – Lustenauer-Hütte (1250 m) – 22 km, middle difficult tour
Lustenauer-Hütte (1250 m) – Damüls (1428 m) – 33 km, difficult tour
Damüls (1428 m) – Biberacher-Hütte (1846 m) – 18 km, very difficult tour
Biberacher-Hütte (1846 m) – Göppinger-Hütte (2245 m) – 16 km, difficult tour
Göppinger-Hütte (2245 m) – Ravensburger-Hütte (2234 m) – 31 km, very difficult tour
Ravensburger-Hütte (2234 m) – Stuttgarter-Hütte (2303 m) – 20 km, difficult tour
Stuttgarter-Hütte (2303 m) – Ansbacher-Hütte (2376 m) – 28 km, very difficult tour
Ansbacher-Hütte (2376 m) – Memminger-Hütte (2242 m), 25 km, very difficult tour
Memminger-Hütte (2242 m) – Steinsee-Hütte (2040 m) – 20 km, very difficult tour
Steinsee-Hütte (2040 m) – Anhalter-Hütte (2040 m) – 25 km, difficult tour
Anhalter-Hütte (2040 m) – Fernpass (1209 m) – 35 km, difficult tour
Fernpass (1209 m) – Ehrwald (994 m) – 20 km, middle difficult tour
Ehrwald (994 m) – Meiler-Hütte (2366 m) – 39 km, difficult tour
Meiler-Hütte (2366 m) – Scharnitz (964 m) – 30 km, middle difficult tour
Scharnitz (964 m) – Falken-Hütte (1846 m) – 30 km, middle difficult tour
Falken-Hütte (1846 m) – Murach am Achsensee (958 m) – 35 km, middle difficult tour
Maurach am Achsensee (958 m) – Steinberg am Rofan (1010 m) – 25 km, difficult tour
Steinberg am Rofan (1010 m) – Kufstein (504 m) – 43 km, easy tour

2. Middle section of the route – 441 km
through Kaisergebirge, Chiemgauer Alpen, Loferer Steingebirge, Hochkönig and Steinernes Meer, Tennengebirge, Dachsteingebiet and Totes Gebirge:

Kufstein (504 m) – Stripsenjoch-Haus (1580 m) – 19 km, middle difficult tour
Stripsenjoch-Haus (1580 m) – Straubinger Haus (1598 m) – 35 km, middle difficult tour
Straubinger Haus (1598 m) – Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte (1966 m) – 39 km, difficult tour
Schmidt-Zabierow-Hütte (1966 m) – Lofer (626 m) – 16 km, middle difficult tour
Lofer (626 m) – Ingolstatter Haus (2199 m) – 31 km, middle difficult tour
Ingolstatter Haus (2199 m) – Riemann-Haus (2177 m) – 8 km, middle difficult tour /> Riemann-Haus (2177 m) – Franz-Eduard-Matras-Haus (2941 m) – 25 km, very diddicult tour on glacier
Franz-Eduard-Matras-Haus (2941 m) – Werfen (548 m) – 27 km, difficult tour on glacier
Werfen (548 m) – Lungötz (828 m) – 33 km, middle difficult tour
Lungötz (828 m) – Adamek-Hütte (2196 m) – 29 km, very difficult tour
Adamek-Hütte (2196 m) – Simony-Hütte (2206 m) – 12 km, very difficult tour on glacier
Simony-Hütte (2206 m) – Bad Goisern (500 m) – 32 km, middle difficult tour
Bad Goisern (500 m) – Loser-Hütte (1497 m) – 34 km, middle difficult tour
Loser-Hütte (1497 m) – Pühringer-Hütte (1638 m) – 25 km, middle difficult tour
Pühringer-Hütte (1638 m) – Priel-Schutzhaus (1422 m) – 20 km, difficult tour
Priel-Schutzhaus (1422 m) – Vorderstoder (660 m) – 18 km, middle difficult tour
Vorderstoder (660 m) – Spital am Pyhrn (647 m) – 38 km, middle difficult tour

3. Eastern section of the route – 478 km
Through Rax, Semmeringgebiet, Bucklige Welt and Rosaliengebirge

Spital am Pyhrn (647 m) – Admont (641 m) – 24 km, middle difficult tour
Admont (641 m) – Hess Hütte (1699 m) – 35 km, middle difficult tour
Hess Hütte (1699 m) – Radmer an der Stube (702 m) – 20 km, difficult tour
Radmer an der Stube (702 m) – Eisenerz (769 m) – 20 km, middle difficult tour
Eisenerz (769 m) – Sonnschien-Hütte (1525 m) – 25 km, middle difficult tour
Sonnschien-Hütte (1525 m) – Voisthaler Hütte (1660 m) – 1660 m) – 17 km, middle difficult tour
Voisthaler Hütte (1660 m) – Turnaueralm (1570 m) – 25 km, middle difficult tour
Turnaueralm (1570 m) – Neuberg, Krampen im Mürztal (756 m) – 31 km, middle difficult tour
Neuberg, Krampen im Mürztal (756 m) – Schneealpen-Haus (1788 m) – 31 km, middle difficult tour
Schneealpen-Haus (1788 m) – Karl-Ludwig-Haus (1803 m) – 21 km, difficult tour
Karl-Ludwig-Haus (1803 m) – Waxriegel-Haus (1361 m) – 12 km, middle difficult tour
Waxriegel-Haus (1361 m) – Maria Schutz (760 m) – 30 km, middle difficult tour
Maria Schutz (760 m) – Hochwolkersdorf (625 m) – 48 km, easy tour
Hochwolkersdorf (625 m) – Mattersburg (256 m) – 17 km, easy tour

After town Mattersburg the route of the E4 leaves the Nordalpine Weitwanderweg 01, and goes on other paths further.

Mattersburg (256 m) – Rust (123 m) – 32 km, easy tour
Rust (123 m) – Drassburg (234 m) – 20 km, easy tour
Drassburg (234 m) – Kabersdorf (320 m) – 28 km, easy tour
Kabersdorf (320 m) – Hochstrass (421 m) – 25 km, easy tour
Hochstrass (421 m) – Köszeg (271 m, border crossing point in Hungary) – 17 km, easy tour

Remark:
Generally there are detours on the route of E4 to avoid the very difficult sections.
You can find map skeches and description about the whole route in the book „Von Neusiedler See zum Bodensee – Nordalpiner Weitwanderweg 01” in German.

Alternative 2:
 Subalpine route
to: Salzburg
Through Allgäu and Upper Bavaria via Neuschwanstein, Unterammergau, Bavarian Lakes (04) 550 km
to: Wienerwald
via Salzkammergut (04)
550 km
to: Hainburg an der Donau
E Austrian border path (07)
150 km

[edit] Hungary

The path of European walking route E4 in Hungary
The path of European walking route E4 in Hungary

On the route of the Országos Kéktúra (Countrywide Blue Tour in Hungary) – 1063 km
Through the Little Hungarian Plain and along the Transdanubian Medium Mountains and the Northern Medium Mountains.

Town Kőszeg (border crossing point) – peak of Irottkő – town Sárvár through the Mountains of Kőszeg and the Little Hungarian Plain – 70 km
Town Sárvár – town Sümeg through the Little Hungarian Plain – 70 km
Town Sümeg – town Keszthely and Lake Balaton through the Highland of Balaton – 47 km
Town Keszthely – town Tapolca – village Nagyvázsony through the Basin of Tapolca and the Highland of Balaton. On the basin the path climbes almost every spent volcanoes: Badacsony, Gulács, Csobánc and Szent György Mountain – 83 km
Village Nagyvázsony – village Városlőd – town Zirc – village Bodajk through the Bakony Mountains – 118 km
Village Bodajk – village Szárliget through the Vértes Mountains – 48 km
Village Szárliget – town Dorog through the Hilly Country of Gerecse – 67 km
Town Dorog – Budapest through the Pilis Mountains and Mountains of Buda – 40 km
Budapest – peak of Dobogókö (700 m) – village Visegrád, Danube Bend through the Buda and Pilis Mountains – 61 km
Village Visegrád – village Nagymaros – with ferry across the Danube
Village Nagymaros – peak of Hegyes-kö (centre mountain of Danube Bend) – village Kóspallag – peak of Csóványos (938 m) – village Nógrád through the Börzsöny Mountains – 38 km
Village Nógrád – village Becske – village Hollókő, it is a World Heritage Site – village Mátraverebély through the Hilly Country of Cserhát – 119 km
Village Mátraverebély – peak of Galyatetö – peak of Kékestető, 1014 m, the highest point of Hungary – village Sirok – village Szarvaskő through the Mátra Mountains – 65 km
Village Szarvaskő – village Bélapátfalva – village Bánkút – village Putnok – through the Bükk Mountains – 55 km
Village Putnok – village Aggtelek, its stalactite cave is a World Heritage Site – village Bódvaszilas through the Hilly Country of Aggtelek – 62 km
Village Bódvaszilas – village Boldogkőváralja through the Hilly Country of Cserehát – 65 km
Village Boldogkőváralja – town Sátoraljaújhely through the Zemplén Mountains – 55 km

In Sátoraljaújhely the route of the E4 leaves the path of the Countrywide Blue Tour and goes further on the route of Blue Tour of the Plain

On the route of Alföldi Kéktúra (Blue Tour of the Plain) – 262 km
Through the Great Hungarian Plain

Town Sátoraljaujhely – town Kisvárda – 63 km
Town Kisvárda – town Nyirbátor – 46 km
Town Nyirbátor – town Bánk – 75 km
Town Bánk – village Nagykereki – 78 km

After village Nagykereki the E4 leaves the path of Alföldi Kéktúra and goes to village Ártánd (border crossing point) – appr. 6 km

Remark:
You can find detailed hiker maps and travelogues about the section of the Országos Kéktúra in Hungarian in the following books:
Az Országos Kéktúra Írottkötöl Budapest, Hüvösvölgyig
Az Országos Kéktúra Budapest, Hüvösvölgytöl Hollóházáig

There are websites of Hungarian hikers about the completion of the Országos Kéktúra:

[edit] Romania

[edit] Bulgaria

to: Petrovo near Greek border via Vitosha, Rila and Pirin Mountains 250 km
to: Kulata on Greek border by bus

[edit] Greece

Kulata – Florina through North Greece
300 km
Florina – Itea on the Gulf of Corinth via Olympos, Meteora, Pindus, Parnassus, Delphi
900 km
Itea – Egio
ferry
Egio – Gythion on Gulf of Lakonia - through Peleponnese via Tripoli and Sparta
300 km
Egio – Kastellion
ferry
Kastellion – Kato Zakros through Crete (not shown on map) from Kastellion through the White and Dikti Mountains
500 km

[edit] European walking route E5

trail label
trail label
See also: European walking route E5

The E5 is a long distance walking route from the French Atlantic coast in Brittany over the Alps to Verona in Italy. It is waymarked over the whole 3200 km distance. The heaviest used section is the last part, which crosses Europe’s highest mountains from Lake Constance to Italy (600 km, around 30 days). Even this part does not require climbing experience.

France

The E5 route starts at Pointe du Raz in the north-west of France. It initially follows the Channel coast, then runs inland past Versailles and follows the Seine to Dijon. After traversing the Vosges the trail reaches Lake Constance.

Swiss

The E5 passes the Rheinfall, then follows the southern shore of Lake Constance to Rheineck.

Austria

The trail heads east from Bregenz, then ascends to the Staufner hut and the German border.

Germany

Most E5 walkers start from Oberstdorf, where the Alpine section begins. After 50 km the trail crosses the Austrian border after the Kemptner hut.

Austria

The most strenuous and spectacular part of the track (175 km) crosses the Allgäu, Lechtal and Ötztal Alps. The route leads the traveller past the Memminger hut towards Zams and afterwards over Geigenkamm and Kaunergrat to Pitztal. Beyond Mittelberg the route crosses Pitztaler Joch, the highest point of the trail (2995m), before reaching the Italian border near the Timmelsjoch.

Italy

The E5 now goes past the Heilig Kreuz Spitze and the Hohe Warte to Merano and Bolzano. The trail is then less mountainous and less crowded, but there are still more than 12 hard days of walking to Verona. The track leads the traveller along the west flank of the Dolomites past the health resort of Levico Terme and over the history-charged Pasúbio massif towards the final destination, Verona.

[edit] See also

[edit] European walking route E6

See also: European walking route E6

[edit] European walking route E7

See also: European walking route E7

[edit] European walking route E8

The European walking route E8
The European walking route E8

The European walking route E8 is a 4700km (2920 miles) route stretching across Europe, from Kerry in Ireland to Istanbul in Turkey.

After the Republic of Ireland it crosses the Irish Sea into Great Britain, where it follows part of the Trans Pennine Trail. After crossing the North Sea, it passes through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland. It finally crosses Bulgaria before reaching Turkey.

Some of the eastern sections of the route are yet to be finalised.

The route is aimed at walkers, horse riders and cyclists.

[edit] European walking route E9

The E9 European Coastal Path, or Sentier Européen du Littoral, is a very long distance coastal footpath, which runs for 5000 km (3125 miles) from Cabo de São Vicente in Portugal to Narva-Jõesuu in Estonia.

The path follows the west coasts of Portugal, Spain and France as far as Roscoff. From Roscoff the path splits to offer two alternative routings:

  • The north coast of France from Roscoff to Calais

The path then follows the coast of Belgium and the Netherlands. Here it follows the Dutch North Sea Trail[2], which contains 5 successive trails:

Then the path follows into Germany. The path crosses the base of the Jutland peninsula, before following the coast of the Baltic Sea through Poland, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Then it continues in Russia towards Saint Petersburg

The path is still under development, and not all sections are yet available.[3]

[edit] European walking route E10

See also: European walking route E10

[edit] European walking route E11

See also: European walking route E11

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


[edit] References

  1. ^ European Long Distance Paths (E-paths) on the Ramblers' Association website
  2. ^ Welcome - North Sea Trail
  3. ^ Ramblers Association. European Path E9. Retrieved March 19, 2006.