Highlander Adventure: my first trip after lockdown

Highlander Adventure: my first trip after lockdown

As restrictions begin to ease around the world, Peter prepares for his first trip post-lockdown: the Highlander adventure

After 100 days in lockdown, I'm itching to get back on the trail. As someone who is happiest outdoors, I found the restrictions particularly claustrophobic, although I came up with some pretty creative ways to pass the time.

I haven't spent 100 days in a single place since 2015, when Kia and I were sequestered for several months in a tiny French village with nothing but a bakery and a corner store nearby and no means of transportation other than our bikes.

However, under completely different circumstances. We had just returned from a year-long trip around the world and needed to sit back and concentrate on work. Plus, we weren't locked down. We spent our free time walking and cycling through the surrounding countryside and visiting neighboring villages. We even managed to organize a short stay in Geneva.

alt=“A signpost in the Northern Velebit National Park”>Luka Hercigonja/ShutterstockI'm itching to get back on track

So when I received an invitation from Highlander Adventure to join a five-day hike in Croatia this September, I jumped at the opportunity. The world begins to cautiously re-emerge and with the logistics of the hike largely taken care of, all I essentially have to do is emerge with my backpack and tie my shoelaces.

If you're like me and are keen to get back on the trail after lockdown, the Highlander Adventure Trek could be a great solution. Read on for more information.

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What is the Highlander Adventure?

The Highlander Adventure is a collection of organized five-day walks through some of Europe's best hiking regions, home to magnificent expanses of wilderness. The routes – in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Greece and Serbia – explore some of Europe's less visited but no less fascinating natural beauties.

Logistics, including internal travel to and from departure points, route, food and checkpoints, will be arranged. Hikers just need to coordinate their arrival at their destination and organize their personal equipment including a tent or shelter.

There are daily checkpoints where hikers pick up their dehydrated meals for the day. Designated campsites are assigned along the route, where hikers stop for the night and share stories about the trail with other participants.

alt=“The starting checkpoint of the Highlander adventure “>Highlander adventureThe Highlander Adventure is a collection of organized hikes

To me it sounds like the perfect mix of guided hike and self-sufficient expedition. The logistics are taken care of, but I can still enjoy all the freedom that trekking brings, with the added bonus of having to carry significantly less weight in my backpack and not having to search for a suitable campsite every day.

All treks are available in reduced three-day, 55km versions known as Highlander55s.

My HIGHLANDER adventure

I will be participating in the Highlander Velebit Trek in Croatia taking place from September 12th to 17th, 2020.

The mountain trail begins in Zavižan in the Northern Velebit National Park and leads southeast through the Velebit Mountains, which separate continental Croatia from the Adriatic coast and are the largest mountain range in the country.

The park is known for its rich diversity of wildlife and mountain landscapes, so it was elevated from nature reserve to national park in 1999, making it Croatia's youngest national park.

alt="A mountain scene during the Highlander Adventure">Richard Rajnai/ShutterstockPaklenica contains some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in Croatia

The route continues into the Paklenica National Park, which contains some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in Croatia. The region is known for its two dramatic gorges, Velika Paklenica (Big Paklenica) and Mala Paklenica (Little Paklenica), which carve deep gorges into the mountain range with cliffs over 400 m high. The path ends in the small coastal settlement of Starigrad.

How to register

Check out the Highlander Adventures calendar, which includes links to a registration form. Registration for the Velebit trek in Croatia and the Mt. Olympus trek in Greece is still open.

Single entry to Highlander Velebit costs €199 ($230). If you join a group, there's a four-for-three deal of €597 ($680).

The website contains more information on checkpoints, equipment lists and some basic guidelines for hiking in the area. Further information, including joining instructions, will be provided upon registration.

Let me know if you sign up for the Highlander Adventure in Croatia. I hope to see you out there!

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Main image: STEPO DINARICUS/SHUTTERSTOCK

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