easy hiking trails in Europe
A town with feet of clay and a reputation that owes everything to the world’s greatest artist of the 20th century Vallauris proudly calls itself “the world’s capital of ceramics”. But that is only half the story. The more complete version goes something like this: for centuries, Vallauris had been the place where the inhabitants…
What have the Romans ever done for the French Riviera? Not much, it appears. For our first proper walk of the year – one involving a forest, “big sky views” and mud under our feet – we picked a theatre of ancient local history. You would be surprised how difficult it can be to find real…
What to do with only two hours in Genoa? Genoa is the capital of the Italian Riviera, more or less what Nice is on the French side, but with one important distinction: Whereas all visitors of the French Riviera will, sooner or later, get to Nice (to go shopping, to do sight-seeing or simply to…
Artists in the French Riviera Our sadly incomplete collection of the French Riviera on canvas from Cagnes-sur-Mer Many of the 20th century’s most famous painters spent some time – occasionally the most fruitful years of their lives – on the French Riviera. On good, sunny and clear days, of which there are many, the whole…
The day when the Easy Hikers came to imbibe the spirit of European unity in Aachen When the weather is cold and wet, as it was for the Christmas season in Germany, only the most intrepid dare to defy the elements out on the trails in the countryside. Easy Hikers, meanwhile, retreat to the smallest…
Happy Italian families, sunshine and local delicacies combine for a perfect winter walk on the Mediterranean Winter walks very much have their own logic: a successful outdoor experience between December and February requires more careful thinking than a journey at any time of the year, even in the relatively mild and balmy climate of the…
A Côte d’Azur gem and something to do outdoors during the “rainy season” on the French Riviera Normally, we are spoilt by the weather in our part of the world, but for the past six weeks, it has been raining and raining. And just when it felt that the worst was finally over, somebody up…
Following in the footsteps of Soviet town planners, teetotal socialists, Quakers, silly old men in skin-tight trousers and – perhaps – even Vladimir Ilyich Lenin to the first garden city in the UK. It may be difficult to believe, but Letchworth Garden City, nowadays a well-heeled country town on the edge of North London’s commuter…
by Mrs Easy Hiker Perhaps it is because we are under the charms of Liguria (the nearest Italian region neighbouring Menton where we now reside) and lived along the stairways of Montmartre for more than 20 years, that the sight of the stairways of Valletta gave us a tug of familiarity. There is definitely an…
London’s extensive canal network is a haven for nature lovers – and often just a single stairway down from the city’s hustle and bustle One of the best things about London is that you don’t have to leave the city to do some serious walking. The West End is virtually surrounded by the leftovers from…