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Top Ten Ridge Walks

Some of our favourite walks are ridge walks - it is very rewarding to ascend to a broad ridge and then to walk along it, admiring the sweeping views from up high. Below we list the ten best ridge walks.

Thiézac to St Cirgues on the Mountains of the Auvergne Walk. One of the great features of our walk in the remote Auvergne is that every day's walk involves superb ridge walking, with excellent views into the surrounding valleys. The walk to St Cirgues is one of the most enjoyable of the holiday, leading first through attractive woodland to the Faillitoux Waterfall, then along the fine Courpou Sauvage Ridge which is dotted with wild flowers in summer and attracts numerous butterflies.

Nuria to Valcebollère on the Grand Cerdagne Walk. The scenery around Nuria, high in the Mediterranean Pyrenees, is spectacular, and the walk to Valcebollère is equally thrilling. The route leads up to Puigmal d'Err, at 2,913 metres the highest point on the holiday, from where you follow the panoramic 'frontier' ridge between France and Spain to La Tossa (2,662 metres), enjoying sweeping views of the surrounding mountains.

Around Gosau on the Lakes & Mountains Walk. The village of Gosau is enviably located in the middle of a broad valley framed by the jagged peaks of the Dachstein Mountains. For such a gentle walk, the route around Gosau is incredibly scenic: after ascending by cable car to the top of the ridge above Lake Gosauersee, you follow a fine path back down to Gosau, being sure to look back every so often to appreciate the breathtaking views of the Dachstein range.

Longevilles to Jougne on the Lake Geneva to Lake Neuchâtel Walk. For breathtaking views, this walk along the Mont d'Or Ridge is hard to beat. In fact, with Switzerland on one side and France on the other, you can admire views of the Mont Blanc range and parts of the Bernese Oberland as you walk. You may also be rewarded with sightings of chamois.

Lizzano to Gavinana on the Apennines to Tuscany Walk. It is not just the magnificent panorama that makes this day so rewarding, but also the sense of journey that you gain as you follow the long, broad ridge, enjoying incredible views back to the Apennine Mountains from which you have come as well as across the Tuscan plain almost as far as the sea.

Setcases to Molló on the Catalan Pyrenees Walk. As the last day's walk, this route between Setcases and Molló is a fitting climax to the holiday. The most thrilling section is the ridge walk between the Fembra Morta (literally 'Dead Woman') and Lliens passes as you are rewarded with views over the last great peaks of the eastern Pyrenees.

Gincla to St Paul on the Castles of the Cathars Walk. Unlike the other walks featured in this Top Ten, it was not so much the views that made us include this route, but rather the fact that walkers often spot golden eagles while walking along the broad, wooded ridge above St Paul. One member of staff was amazed to see one circling round its nest, but just a few minutes later saw another pair flying just beneath the ridge. An amazing sight!

Villaluenga to Cortes on the White Towns & Rugged Mountains Walk. Although this walk involves lots of ridges, it is not strictly speaking what we mean by a ridge walk, in that this route takes you over several ridges rather than along them. Nevertheless, we felt it deserved a mention as the views stretch for miles over ridge after ridge. From one point towards the end of the walk, you can even see as far as Gibraltar on a clear day.

Sare to Biriatou on the Pyrenees to Atlantic Walk. This rewarding 'border-hopping' route includes some very scenic days, and this day's walk is no exception. The cog railway transports you to the summit of La Rhune (900 metres), where you should take time to admire the panorama of the Bay of Biscay, the forests of Les Landes, and the Pyrenean chain before walking from pass to pass along the Franco-Spanish border.

Rigi-Kaltbad to Weggis on the Lake Lucerne Walk. This is a fine route with which to end the Lake Lucerne Walk. It leads along the spine of the Rigi, with superb views of the lake below. You would be forgiven to think that after a week in the surrounding mountains you may tire of the panorama, but in fact Lake Lucerne's shape, along with changes in the weather and light mean that no two views of it are the same.

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