Wild Camping on the GR1

I'm getting lots of questions from potential GR1 hikers about wild camping in Spain. I've tried to answer as best as I can but because I haven't done any wild camping I can't claim to be an expert.  Having explored various forums it's clear that most English hikers are confused about the legal status so I decided to do the thing I should have done in the first place and ask a Spaniard.

Juan Holgado is not, of course, any Spaniard, but an expert on all things to do with walking in Spain.  I met him by chance on the third day of my trip from Tarifa to Budapest and since then he has become my Spanish walking mentor.  He provided invaluable input into my Cicerone GR1 guide and his website is a go to place for anyone planning a walking trip in Spain.

The E4 revisited - my journey in GPX

Although it's five years since I started on my trek across Europe on the E4 from Tarifa in Spain to Budapest I still get lots a questions about the journey.  The most common and in some ways the hardest to answer is 'what route did you take?'.  Although there is lots of information in the blog the route is not defined in a way a potential E4 walker could adopt. The reason of course is simple - I didn't plot it and given the number of times I went wrong, revealing the precise journey would be just a bit embarrassing.

I've started so I'll finish

This blog will put that right and now, if you have six months to spare, you can follow my route (roughly) from the southernmost tip of Europe through to Hungary's beautiful capital.  I say roughly because I've ironed out the mistakes I made and in one or two places improved the original route I took.

Munich to Venice - an Australian's Experience

Guest blog from Sean Paul.  Sean is a 19 year old Australian who completed the hike from Munich to Venice in 2015.  Although keen on the outdoors, this was his first trip to the Alps and the first time he had hiked for more than 4 days. 

Australians by nature tend not to be mountain faring folk. Whether it be our generally flat geographical disposition, our love of the beach and open plains, our laid back and easy going temperament or a combination of all, we are just not that suited for the mountains. Maybe I am over generalising, although the Germans, Italians, Israelis and even other Australians I met while away all seemed to look at me with the same slightly confused, slightly amused look that you would give a ski instructor at Bondi beach. But there comes a time in every boy’s life when he wants to do something that blurs that line between adventure and foolishness, for me that was to hike from Munich to Venice by myself with the assistance of a German guidebook.

Some GR1 Q & As

Thanks Stephen for your questions - I hope you don't mind me sharing them alone with the answers.

1 Cows. You mention that walkers on the GR1 will see herds of cows. My wife and daughter have been known to refuse to walk through a field of cows in this country. (My wife and I got charged by a herd once in Cornwall, and the three of us had a fairly alarming experience on the Black Isle a few years ago.) It may be that faced with the necessity of reaching somewhere to spend the night, and no obvious way of giving the field a detour, they will be prepared to take a few more risks. I just wondered, did you ever find yourself being followed around by a field-full of over-excited cows? Or did they tend to be the uncurious/docile type?

Cows - I've never had a problem.  The big difference between Spain and the UK, certainly in the mountains, is that they don't have fields.  This might sound bizarre but it's non the less true.  Cows and more often sheep are left to graze in unenclosed open spaces, often with a shepherd in tow who is helped by the huge Spanish sheep dogs.  Unlike the UK, with its field system,  it's unusual to find yourself in a confined space with cows.

A GR1 Radio Interview

What fun - an interview on radio (Talk Radio Europe) to discuss Spain's Sendero Historico: The GR1: Northern Spain - Picos to the Mediterranean.  I can't pretend that it's an absolutely polished performance or that I have a potential career in improvisation, but it is my voice on the 'airways' so if you want to listen just click on the link.

What's the accommodation like on the GR1

The guide to the GR1 has been produced on the assumption that walkers will use the local accommodation, walk from place to place and, for their comfort, carry the minimum amount of gear. It is possible to walk most of the GR1 and start and finish each day in accommodation directly on the route although just occasionally a diversion is needed, even, a couple of times a taxi journey.

For me, one of the joys of this style of walking is the element of surprise involved in where you end up staying.

Broadly speaking there are two types of accommodation - provided in small hotels or by individuals.

Finding your way along the GR1

As it would be for any long-distance route in Spain finding your way along the GR1 can be a challenge.

Spanish walking routes are 'defined' by the regional walking associations operating to standards set at a national level. It's a voluntary activity although regional government does occasionally get involved as part of the promotion of tourism.  Waymarking and the quality of the route does however vary from region to region (the route passes through 5 regions).