My husband and I would like to try Inn to Inn hiking in September, for 4-7 days. We do moderate level day hiking, would love to be near or in mountains, love small villages, decent weather and are in our 60's. We would hire a company to carry the heavy stuff, maybe also to book simple overnights (not bunk rooms). I was intrigued by Conques to Rocamadour in France, but I think 12 mile days are our max, and less if there's a lot of elevation gain. It's a big topic! Thank you for any ideas. ☺️

Hi All. Hoping to try some Inn to Inn (not hostel to hostel) hiking with my husband in September. We are moderate level hikers, would like to try a 4-7 day hike, in or near mountains, pretty decent weather (hope hope), carry our day packs, hire a company to schlepp the rest and maybe book rooms. We are in our 60's and also like small villages. We would like to generally limit days to 6-12 miles, depending on elevation gain. Thinking of France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Slovenia . . . Thanks for any ideas.

I cycle this sort of thing most years, but hiking is outside my experience. But I have friends who did both the Portugeuse Atlantic coast and the Cotswold's way. Both great fun. From cross country skiing I imagine the ridge of the Vosges mountains is good, certainly it was France's first long distance path.

Headwater.co.uk are pretty well organised

Look at trips through the Sierra Club. Look at their Outings page--search for Europe and look at the trips. We did hut to hut in the Dolomites. But they also have inn to inn hikes in Germany, Portugal, and Spain. It is very well organized. The leaders have Wilderness First Aid Training and are trained on those specific routes. The leaders are all volunteers so no tipping. The group size is usually around 10-12 people and we really enjoyed ourselves. I have been backpacking with them for 30 years and love their trips. The Italy trip was the first time we did an international trip with them and it was incredible!!!

Hello! My husband and I enjoyed hut to hut hiking (a bit different than inn to inn, maybe) in the Dolomites in Italy several years ago. We went at the end of June, which was the beginning of the season there, and even then we had snow one day, so I am not sure about the September timeline. Otherwise, I couldn't recommend it more! It was a fantastic experience. We did three nights. We hiked a maximum of 10 miles a day with only a small daypack - toiletries and layers, plus clean socks and undergarments. We stayed in very comfortable and charming refugios each night and stopped for lunch at refugios each day. There is the possiblity of ski lift assist on the ascent if needed on some routes, though we didn't find that necessary. My husband has also done a more challenging hut to hut trip in the Austrian Alps and is going back to the Dolomites this summer. For all of these trips, we (he) used On Top Mountaineering for planning. Not sure if that is what you are looking for, but we loved it.

Your two threads have been merged

My wife and I have done several self-guided long-distance walks in the UK and Italy. By coincidence, we leave tomorrow for a six-day walk in Spain, and we have another one booked for Slovenia in May.

I can recommend three companies that do exactly what you envisage; they offer a wide variety of walks of varying difficulty, and they arrange nightly accommodations, daily luggage transfers to your next accommodation, and provide detailed walking instructions.

Accommodations are typically B&Bs, inns, or small hotels. Breakfasts are included, and some arrange for a packed lunch for the trail. There is typically guidance on local restaurants for evening meals, although dinners are provided by the innkeeper in very small villages that do not have a restaurant.

We walked on Offa's Dyke Path in Wales with Celtic Trails (https://www.celtictrailswalkingholidays.co.uk), and we also used them when we walked the Cotswold Way. They are solid, reliable, and responsive. We would use them again.

We walked the Cumbria Way with Mickledore Travel (https://www.mickledore.co.uk). Again, rock solid.

We used On Foot Holidays (https://www.onfootholidays.co.uk) to walk in Tuscany and Liguria, and we are using them again for Spain and Slovenia. This firm has become our preferred organizer. They have developed beautiful routes, with good guidance on difficulty, best times to walk, and advice on how to get to the starting village and how to get home at the end. Their day-by-day walking instructions are very detailed, and they have a companion app that allows you to walk using your mobile's GPS capabilities. The best thing about On Foot is that they have a local contact that can help you with sudden problems that may arise. As an example, our local contact for Tuscany messaged us with an update on water levels on a flood-prone stream we had to cross, and while in Liguria, our local contact helped us solve a railway strike issue and counselled us not to walk on a day that had particularly filthy weather. On Foot also has what they call "shortening options," which typically means traveling part of the route with the person who drives your luggage to the next accommodation.

If you would like a better feel for what these walks are like, take a look at our trip report for Offa's Dyke Path and for the Cumbria Way, and also for Tuscany and Liguria:

Better Lost Than Duffers: Walking Offa's Dyke Path and the Cumbria Way

Walking in Tuscany and Liguria