THE GR1 : SPAIN'S SENDERO HISTORICO | Cicerone hiking guide

hiking guide

This guidebook is for trekkers aiming to tackle all or part of the GR1 or Sendero Historico – 1250km of waymarked route across northern Spain through the Pyrenean foothills from Puerto to Tarna at the western end to near L’Escala on the Mediterranean coast. Broken into 7 sections and 53 stages, the walking goes through remote landscapes, but accommodation is accessible at the end of every day, and the terrain is not difficult. All sections are suitable for novice and experienced walkers alike.

Providing all the information trekkers will need, the guide starts with a useful introduction combining practical information about planning your own itinerary, when to go, what to take and the accommodation, cuisine and terrain to expect along the way with general information about the varied geology and fascinating history of the provinces you will be walking through. Step-by-step route description is accompanied by custom-drawn, contoured mapping, vibrant photography and stage and section summary information to help you plan, as well as detailed information about the accommodation options available at the end of each day’s walking. Also included is information about how to get to Puerto de Tarna from the northern coast of Spain, if you want to make the GR1 into a true coast-to-coast.

Walking through rural Spain is a unique experience and the GR1 meanders through some of the best scenery northern Spain has to offer. At the same time, the route visits many medieval churches and castles from the time of the Christian kingdoms, the reconquest, the crusades and Spanish Unification as well as key locations in the development of modern Spain. What’s more you’ll have long views of the changing landscapes all the way, as the mountains of Spain, unlike the rest of Europe, are not cloaked in pine forests.