National Geographic Traveller UK - 05.2020 - 06.2020

BRAZIL

A trail of more than 2,500 miles is

being set out through Brazil’s Atlantic

Forest. In São Paulo state, visitors

can hike the Caminhos do Mar, which

opened in February and mark several

important moments in Brazil’s history.

ingressosparquespaulistas.com.br

AUSTRALIA

With rock art dating back more than

20,000 years, the Grampians National

Park is a prime spot to delve deep into

Aboriginal Australian culture. A 22-mile

section of the Grampians Peaks Trail is

now open; the rest will be completed by

the end of 2020. visitgrampians.com.au

SWEDEN

Stretching some 45 miles from

Gothenburg to Alingsås, the recently

opened Gotaleden trail has options for

nine different legs of varying lengths

and difficulty levels. For history and

culture, try the easy Floda-Tollered

route. gotaleden.se

NEW ZEALAND

The country has just unveiled the 10th

of its Great Walks, a series of trails

showing off its most iconic spots.

Developed for mountain bikers as

well as walkers, the Paparoa Track on

South Island has significant indigenous

history. thepaparoa.co.nz

RIGHT ON TRACK: NEW CULTURAL ROUTES

Uniting West Wales and Ireland’s Ancient East, the new

Celtic Routes project offers the chance to discover a side

of the UK and Ireland that’s seldom explored, with an

emphasis on long-neglected history and culture.

This collection of coastal trails and underexplored

destinations throws up myths, legends and stories

that have long permeated the region’s landscapes and

cultures — and that’s before you even consider the

natural beauty of these wild, windswept countries.

The Welsh coastal counties of Carmarthenshire,

Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire and their Irish

counterparts Wicklow, Wexford and Waterford have put

together their best travel experiences revealing must-see

destinations and roads less travelled. Culturally curious

travellers can discover the ‘Celtic Beacons’ collection,

which highlights historic sites, like Hook Head in County

Wexford, where one of the world’s oldest operational

lighthouses has stood for over 800 years, or the Devil’s

Bridge in Ceredigion — three separate bridges over the

River Mynach, with one built on top of another between

the 11th and 19th centuries.

For those looking for seasonal travel experiences, the

‘Celtic Moments’ are a series of places to visit at specific

times throughout the year for a chance to experience

unique festivals and occurrences. These range from

dolphin-spotting off New Quay in Ceredigion in the

summer, whales breaching at Hook Head in November

to the spectacular Aberaeron Mackerel Fiesta in late

August. Finally, there’s also a range of ‘Celtic Discoveries’

for history buffs, with castles, ruins and sacred stones

unveiling tales from a shared past that binds these two

nations. celticroutes.info LAURA PRICE

A new series of routes across Wales

and Ireland will celebrate a shared

Celtic heritage and offer a range of

off-piste adventures close to home

Courtown Woodland

walk, Wexford, Ireland

May/Jun 2020 21

SMART TRAVELLER

CROSSING

PATHS

NEW ROUTES