The Sunday Times of London has published a very interesting list of the Top 50 Greatest Walks in the world. Each of these great hikes is given a given a difficulty rating from one to five, with one being easy and two being strenuous. Unlike most lists of this type, they don't rank them in order, counting down from fifty. Instead, they count up, with the easiest walks starting the list, and the more challenging treks coming deeper down the line.
The treks making the list really do run the gamut, with the first few, those ranked just one on the difficulty scale, being quite easy and often involving food and drink. For instance, the first walk in the list is the Highlands for beginners in Glencoe, which is listed as a "mountain" trek, but it's described as a great "pub walk" that just happens to have some scenery.
The list gradually increases in difficulty however, and by the team you reach the middle of the list, you're seeing hikes like the Smugglers’ haunts in Cornwall, ranked 27th on the list and a 3 rating for difficulty. This one involves a 630 mile long trail with a dramatic series of ups and downs. The Times recommend a 16-mile segment with great scenery, legendary tales of buccaneers and romantic churches. Of course, the trail also involves, you guessed it, a pub as well.
By the time you reach the last few hikes on the list, the last five in particular, you're on to some very iconic hikes. They're all rated a five in difficulty, and they truly do range the globe, with one here in the States, another in Peru, with Namibia and the Alps also making an appearance. I won't spoil the last one, but it is indeed a classic, and would be an amazingly great adventure.
So if those "Great Escapes" I posted earlier today weren't enough for you, maybe this list will be more to your liking. These are located all over the planet and can offer adventure for what ever pace suits your level. I enjoy these lists quite a bit, but damn they are hazardous to my "Life List".
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