In addition to routes that are suitable for day trips, the hiking organizations have also created and marked long-distance hiking trails that are divided into several daily stages. A special category of these routes are pilgrimage routes.
The motivation to hike is subject to considerable fluctuations, both among different age groups and generations, as well as in terms of the type of hiking and the trend over time. While it was still a natural professional necessity with the journeyman trade, combined with experience, adventure and personal maturation, the generation of the youth movement and the wandering bird celebrated hiking in songs and undertakings as emancipation from the encrusted adult world, as an escape from the desolate cities’ romantic discovery of nature and as an indispensable part of their special youth culture.
A study commissioned by the fitness magazine Fit for Fun from the Cologne Institute for Prevention and Aftercare (IPN) came to the conclusion that the energy expenditure when hiking is comparable to that when jogging. For example, the test subjects consumed as much food energy during a 2-hour hike in the lowlands as when jogging for 75 minutes. The gentle way is also said to be advantageous because the automatic pace adjustment rarely causes physical overstrain.
Once again it was time. Our dear friend and hiking guide Ömer had invited us to another excursion through the coastal Taurus Mountains near Manavgat above the Oymarpinar dam.
Another event was on our schedule this weekend because we wanted to do a paddling tour on the Unstrut, a smaller tributary to the Saale, which we had had on our to-do list for a long time.
Sucullu, a small town of 5.000 people on the St Paul Trail close to Antioch in Pisidia, is having a traditional folk festival. On 17th July, traditionally-dressed villagers with their animals will walk from the mosque in Yalvaç, past the ruins at Antioch, along the aqueduct to Sucullu (about 2-3 hrs walk).
Kate Clow first came to Turkey in 1989 to sell computer systems. In 1992 she moved to Antalya and, out of sheer interest, began researching the ancient roads that connected the cities of Greek and Roman times.
We had often passed the eye-catching dolomite rocks near Scharzfeld on our way through the Harz Mountains, and now there was finally enough time for a short hike up the rocks and on to the legendary "Unicorn Cave".
At first it was just a small side note that we noticed during a conversation with the local hiking guide Ömer over Sunday tea.
We were on our way back from Braunlage to Clausthal-Zellerfeld in the early afternoon when the wonderful sunshine, despite the forecast for rain, forced us to stop at the Oderteich car park.
A next Harz hiking destination was quickly found with the so-called World Forest, as well as other destinations in the Bad Grund area, so we also had the Albert Tower, the Hübichenstein and the quarry of the limestone mining area in mind.
Once again we were on a hiking tour in the Harz mountains, had already visited the Hübichenstein near Bad Grund and now wanted to go to the Harz hiking pin stamping point 129 to add another stamp to our hiking pass.
Today we have decided to visit the ruins of the Königsburg and the Königshütter waterfall in order, as announced, to fill our hiking pass with more stamps for the Harzer hiking pin.
As already reported in our article on the Harzer hiking needles, we had found increasing interest in the targeted hike to the multi-layered stamping points to the special highlights of the Harz hiking trails and thus also decided to equip ourselves with hiking passes and to supplement them with the various stamps.
The Hanskuehnenburg is a managed mountain hut in the western Harz Mountains, near the well-known winter sports resort of Braunlage.
The idea came spontaneously in the morning when research on the internet made us aware that the Romans were also active on the Main during their campaign against the Marcomanni.
"Rennsteig" hiking trail in the Thuringian Forest, which is now marked with a distinctive "R", has been used for many centuries by people with a wide variety of interests, whose motives could hardly be more different.
Once you have arrived in the northern part of Germany, a hearty wadden sea area hike should of course not be missed by Brita and Gerda during the travel program with alaturka.
At the beginning of our hike into the picturesque Feldaist valley, which we have planned for today, the Bruckmühle in Pregarten is our chosen starting point and is now home to active cultural and artistic workers as well as the region’s associations.
For the non-Austrian, a little introductory explanation: The term “Mühlviertel” is used to describe a landscape in Austria that represents one of the four historical “quarters” of Upper Austria. It is that part of Upper Austria that lies north of the Danube and belongs to the granite and gneiss highlands.
After visiting the state school in Pforta and getting to know one of it´s “master students”, Friedrich Gottlieb Kloppstock (we will report after the introduction), we also wanted to hike the circular hiking trail to the Bismarck Tower, which begins at the school and which leads to a spring named with writers name.
From our location Camper Stop Hotel Baron, we, headed by Florian, went from Tirana a few kilometers into the direction of Elbasan.
And once again, we had arranged to meet with Wolfgang Dorn and his tour group, this time in the small town Yavu near Kas to visit the ancient city Kyaneai in Lycia.