Walking Spain Walking Spain Walking Spain Walking Spain Walking Spain Walking Spain Walking Spain Walking Spain Walking Spain Walking Spain Walking Spain

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Walking in Spain part of the Walking on the Web guide to walking in Europe

The Spanish Tourist Office (Turespaña) 22-23 Manchester Square, London W1M 5AP information via e-mail from londres@tourspain.es

Rail Check

Low Cost Operators from the UK

Alicante Birmingham MyTravelLite, Bristol, East Midlands, Cardiff, East Midlands BMI Baby, Gatwick EasyJet

Barcelona Bristol, East Midlands, East Midlands BMI Baby, Gatwick, Liverpool, Luton EasyJet

Malaga Birmingham MyTravelLite, Bristol, East Midlands, Cardiff, East Midlands BMI Baby, Gatwick, Liverpool, Luton EasyJet

Jerez Stansted Buzz

Madrid Gatwick, Liverpool, Luton EasyJet

Murcia East Midlands BMI Baby, Stansted Buzz

There are regional associations for each of the autonomia, which are responsible for the designation and maintenance of long distance paths and the publication of guidebooks and other information.

These regional associations are coordinated by the

Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada (FEDME) Alberto Aguilera 3-4° E-28015 Madrid

Long distance paths are known as Senderos de Gran Recorrido (GR). They are waymarked as in France with red and white stripes together with directional signs

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A free 1993 overview leaflet of LDPs, Senderos de España, is available from FEDME, and a 1996 book Guia de Senderos del Estado Español, published by Prames (Santa Cruz de Tenerife 5, E-50007 Zaragoza), the publishing arm of the Aragon federation, gives overview information plus sketch maps of each of the GRs (ISBN: 84-87601-69-3). The four regions bordering the Pyrenees are all members of the ERA:

Aragon

Federación Aragonesa de Montañismo c/ Albareda, 7-4º-4 E-50004 Zaragoza Navarra: Federación Navarra de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada Paulino Caballero, 13-3º (Casa del Deporte) E-31002 Pamplona

Basque Country

Euskal Mendizale Federakundea Plaza Padre Aguirre, s/n Apartado de Correos 142 E-20870 Elgoibar

Catalonia

Federació d'Entitats Excursionistes de Catalunya Rambla 61, 1r E-08002 Barcelona. They produce a free brochure on the GRs in Catalonia, containing an overview map and brief description of each route in English.

Valencia

Federacion Territorial Valenciana de Muntanyisme Carrer Marià Luiña, 9 Baixos 3 i 4, Apartat de Correus, 3 E-03201 Elche (Alicante)

National Parks

Spain is said to have more wild and beautiful places than any other country in Europe and as a result the National Parks are stunning. In the Pyrenees, the Ordesa National Park, in the Picos de Europa, the National Park of La Montaña de Covadonga and in the south, Doñana , a stunning and fragile bird sanctuary.

Ordesa National Park is the mother of Spanish national parks. The park comprises three separate valleys emanating from Monte Perdido, "the lost mountain." The Ordesa Valley is the most famous -- and deserves to be. Carved by glaciers, the valley is outlined by limestone folds brilliantly marked with bands of gray, red and yellow ochre. At the head of the valley lies the dramatic Circa Soasa, a glacial cirque that is the most popular of many hiking destinations in the park. Climbers also have many choices in the parks. Petit Vignemale offers almost every possible technical challenge for serious mountaineers.

The National Park of Montaa de Covadonga is the largest national park in Europe. Within its 230,00 acres rises almost the entire western massif of the Picos de Europa, a lush limestone mountain range along Spain's north Atlantic coast. Glacial activity and constant rains off the ocean have carved dramatic cirques, alpine lakes and caverns throughout the Picos. The area's caves, many featuring prehistoric paintings, draw a crowd of spelunkers to the park. Hikers come for extensive treks and anglers chase salmon and trout in the cold mountain streams.

Doana National Park is the meeting ground between Africa and Europe for migrating birds. For years, the park was a mostly uninhabited royal hunting reserve. Today it is an endangered reserve in the delta of the Guadalquivir River. The delta has only one river mouth, the rest having been blocked off by sand dunes. The park comprises three distinctive ecosystems: wetlands, pine forest, sand dunes. Hundreds of bird species visit, breed, or permanently reside here. Even a non-birdwatcher will be astonished, and committed birdwatchers will find themselves transported. Special highlights include flocks of flamingoes, breeding pairs of Imperial eagles and spoonbills. Spain's wild places include seven more national parks throughout the country.

Pilgrim Routes

Via de la Plata

The Way of St James

 

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