Welcome to Walkopedia, our interactive directory of the worlds best walks and hikes.

We are in the process of developing information on a huge selection of worldwide walks, so bear with us until this site reaches its full glory....but, in the meantime, do let us know of any favourite walk or trek that you think should be introduced to the world.

Walkopedia Magazine:

View the Winter 2012 edition: Christmas 2012: Amazing Cappadocia.

View the Summer 2012 edition: Lycian Way, Humla in Nepal and Lebanons Qadesha Valley.

View the Winter 2011 edition: Extraordinary Tenerife; Paul Hadaways GR20.

View other past editions, including the world's best walk and much more.

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Subscribe for our Walkopedia online Magazine and enter our £300 draw:

£100 each for three lucky winners!

Subscribe now: register as a new member and confirm that you do want to receive a Walkopedia magazine/newsletter, and you will be automatically entered for our cash prize draw.

See the rules of the competition

Huangshan, China

Our aims are:

To have as close to a complete collection of the worlds great walks and hikes as can be achieved, by 2020. This requires daunting levels of research - and walking - and help from walk lovers like you. So, please give us your suggestions and comments.

To give you good travel writing about, and pictures of, the best walks and hikes and some walk-related fun and competitions.

To give you good information and links, to help you plan an expedition.

Help Walkopedia

If you enjoy and value our site, please help us (at no cost to you) by buying your books, maps and other needs through our Amazon link.

And by telling friends about our site.

THE WORLD'S 100 BEST WALKS: as walked and selected by William Mackesy

William Mackesy is on a long quest to identify the worlds 100 best walks. He is tackling and assessing all the walks himself, and has so far done more than 40% of the likely Top 100 (listed on our about page). His descriptions of these walks will be appearing on this website.

Alta Via 1 Dolomites

His planned book on these walks is provisionally titled "Fat Man Walking: a Good Wheeze". But, as he is 50 and his knees are in decline, he suspects the project will involve lowered sights at some point.

Identifying the best walks requires a system as well as stamina:but what are the essential ingredients of a great walk? Outstanding beauty is not sufficient on its own (there are thousands of beautiful walks). It is some special charisma, often combined with a natural wonder or historical or artistic association, which propels a walk into the highest ranks. Adjustments are needed for miseries such as crowding and altitude. See our walks assessment system, which we have developed to balance between these varied factors.

Kilimanjaro at dawn from Mt Meru

See our provisional list of the worlds 100 best walks, with ratings. These preliminary rankings will be revised for further candidates and adjusted markings. You can help to develop the final, definitive, list. Your suggestions for candidates, and comments on walks on the list, will be very welcome.

Click here to see Williams personal favourites walks.

Responsible Travel...

... matters, a lot. How you travel will make a real difference – for better or worse. PLEASE consider this when making plans. Read more

CONTRIBUTE

You can join our community and help to develop the final, definitive, Top 100 list and a full collection of the worlds best walks and hikes. Your suggestions for candidates, and comments on walks on this website, will be very welcome. You can:

recommend a walk, or submit your own description of a favourite walk;

suggest additions or changes to an existing walk description and our walks assessments, including your tips, tales and photos; and

give us other feedback or comments.

Go to our community page to see more on the Walkopedia project, including the ideas of other walk lovers.

FUN AND COMPETITIONS

WALKOPEDIA TRAVEL WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITIONS

Results are out for our 2011 competitions for:

The best travel writing about a walk or hike, including junior prizes.
The best photographs taken on a walk or hike, including junior prizes.

See the full results on our Competition Results 2011 page.

Lake Manasarovar,Tibet

Subscribe for our Walkopedia online Magazine and enter our £300 draw.
See the rules of the competition

Planning an expedition

What you will need to do and take with you, including an extensive check and packing list.

Links to useful websites

We are developing useful information (on travel, equipment, books, maps and so on) to help you plan your own expedition. Let us know about further useful websites and we’ll add them.
(Walk-specific information can be found on the individual walk pages.)

Walkopedia Magazine

The first edition of our beautiful and intriguing online magazine appears in January 09. Click here to receive free copies... it won't take long! Subscribe for our Walkopedia online Magazine and enter our £300 draw

Tell a friend about Walkopedia

Enter details to tell a friend:

Countries with highest concentration of the world's best walks

Country

No. in Top 100

% of all walks

China

Nepal

Peru

Spain

USA

11%

France

India

Italy

Norway

631

NUMBER OF WALKS CURRENTLY IN WALKOPEDIA

CHARITY WALKS!

We are planning to feature good charity walks from around the world. Let us know of any charity walks you would like us to feature!

THE WORLD'S 10 BEST WALKS

Mount Kailash Kora, China
Mustang, Nepal
Inca Trails, Peru
Cappadocia, Turkey
Petra Area, Jordan
Philosopher's walk, Japan
Torajaland, Indonesia
Drakensberg Escarpment, South Africa
The Dolomites, Italy
Q'adisha Valley, Lebanon

(Walkopedia's provisional rating)

WALK OF THE MONTH

Cairngorms, Scotland, Cairngorms, UK

The Cairngorms, the heart of Scotland's Highlands, contain some of Britain's - and the world's - best walking.

A huge, roadless, protected area teeming with precious wildlife. The scenery is almost painfully beautiful: grand crags and purple hillsides above glens and lakes. Pockets of the ancient Caledonian forest.

Is a walker's life is complete without having surveyed the Cairngorms from one of its great peaks, trudged one of its many and wondrous hill tracks and explored a magical, remote glen?

These are serious mountains, with serious weather. Come prepared.

Further information

WALKOPEDIA NEWS

Feb 2013: over 625 walks on Walkopedia, Off to check out Myanmar treks in March
Any suggestions or ideas or experiences?
Jan 2013: winter magazine
Featuring Cappadocia in Turkey, Wind River Mountains and much more
November 2012: our 600th walk loaded!
June 2012: featured in Brummell magazine
Brummell magazine, "the little black book for the City", features Walkopedia and its origins: see issuu.com/showmedia/docs/vip4-brum_june12_single-62376/25 at page 25
March 2012: travel writing and photo competition results
We have had some brilliant entries, and selecting the winners was a real problem.

Click to view more

LATEST WALK

Glacier National Park, NW: Glacier NP,USA

Montana's Glacier National Park is theatrical and dazzling: a vast area filled with stunning vistas of sheer mountains, foaming waterfalls and startlingly blue lakes, spilling into the US from the Canadian Rockies.
With hundreds of animal species as well as more than 1,000 different types of plant, Glacier's ecosystem is impressive and well-protected. Endangered species such as the grizzly bear and the Canadian lynx live here, as well as the remarkable mountain goats the area is famous for.
From gentle short strolls to very difficult long scrambles, Glacier NP has walks for everyone. And the best bit? They are all stunning.
This can be a tough place to walk, in high, remote mountains, on which you will often have to be self-sufficient. And, beware bears. Come prepared and take all precautions.