The Untravelled World: Ideas for independent travel and walking in Spain and elsewhere

Welcome to The Untravelled World – walking and independent travel in Spain and elsewhere

I have a passion for independent travel, particularly planning and executing short hiking trips in Spain, France, Turkey, Scotland, and elsewhere. I take lots of photos, am fascinated by the wildlife I come across, and think critically about the hotels and hostels I frequent along the way. The purpose of this website is to share the practical details of these experiences and to inspire new ideas for trips of this type.

I usually travel solo and so generally keep the trips short – 4 nights away would be typical for a trip to (say) Spain. I like to keep my environmental “footprint” as light as possible and so I try to use only public transport and keep to a tight budget – £350 would be typical for a 4-night trip to Spain, including all flights (from my base in Scotland), bus/train fares, accommodation, food, and incidental expenses. I carry everything in a small rucksack (about 35 litres or less) and I am happy to walk a lot. However, I like some comforts at the end of the day and, where possible, stay in 2- or 3-star hotels and eat in decent restaurants.

The trips described here have been undertaken personally by me since 2009. Any costs mentioned are the ones I paid at the time. My ideal hiking trip would involve 4 nights in 4 different hotels, walking 5-7 hours each day between the locations, but a few trips described here do not fit this pattern and involve some circular walks. Some of my times for the walks may seem very slow but this is because I can stop for long periods to take wildlife photos. A few of the trips described here are not really hiking trips at all, more focussed on history, culture or wildlife, but a distinguishing feature is that I always wear my lightweight walking boots.

Where I have stayed in a hotel that I was happy with, I have named it in the “Places I stayed” section and provided links to the relevant Booking.com (or other) page. I have not named or provided links to accommodation that was not to my satisfaction, although this is rare as I choose my hotels, B&Bs, etc., very carefully. Detailed hotel reviews are now available on the Reviews page. For the guidebooks and maps I used on these trips, I have provided links to the relevant Amazon pages. If you use the Booking.com or Amazon or other links, you will be helping to support the modest annual cost (about £150) of maintaining this website (at no extra cost to yourself, of course).

If you would like to view high-resolution versions of my wildlife and other photos then some of them can be found on my profile page on Adobe Stock, which is searchable.

Website updated 30 July 2023

I am a part of all that I have met;

Yet all experience is an arch wherethrough

Gleams that untravelled world, whose margin fades

For ever and for ever when I move

Ulysses, Alfred Lord Tennyson

The Trips: Spain

The Trips: Rest of Europe

The Trips: Rest of World