Hiking Tours FAQ
Last Updated on Sunday, 22 November 2009 15:43
Let us explain the basics of the hiking tour descriptions. We strongly suggest you read this section to become familiar with the descriptions.
First make your choice in country using the "TN Travelling To" menu on the left.
At every tour summary (and in the description document itself) you'll find an number & color rating. Below you'll find the rating scale for them. With this you can easily find a tour of your choice: if you are a beginner, choose a 1 (blue) rated tour. If you are a trained mountain hiker, you can choose a 5 (red) rated tour. Because in some countries mountains are not that high or tough to climb (or pretty much "non-existent" ;), the ratings is more related to distance.
Rating | Mountains (the Alps, parts of Wales etc.) |
 | Moderately easy tour (also perfect for a late afternoon walk). 2 hours max. |
 | With some physical condition, no difficulties. 1 to 3 hours max. |
 | Average tour, a moderate, good physical condition is needed! 2 to 4 hours max. |
 | Difficult tour. Sometimes you have to use your hands to climb (not all the way, just smaller parts). Between 3 to 6 hours. |
 | Very difficult tour. Here you're at the boundary of "real" mountaineering. The "climbing factor" takes the overhand. Mostly between 5 and 7 hours. |
Rating | No or less high mountains |
| Short walk across even terrain. Distance till 5km across (asphalted / paved) roads in good condition. |
| Walk with several small climbs, till a distance op 10km, mainly roads in good condition. |
| A longer walk till 15km. Climbs and off-road routes possible. Good physical condition is necessary. |
| Long walk till 25km. Climbs and off-road routes highly probable. |
| Very long walk till 40km (or more). Climbs and off-road routes very likely. |
Note: most mountain tours rated with a 4 or 5 rating have an additional rating. On these tours, climbing is required, so we used the UIAA-Scale. This rating has a range from I (very easy, no rope required) to X (extreme climbing difficulty). Some tours are easy Via Ferrata's, so here I used the 'Hüsler' rating: [A] well secured routes, small ladders; [B] more difficult, long ladders etc. The tours you will find on this website have no higher rating than UIAA scale I+ and Hüsler rating [A]. If you want to know more about this subject click here (UIAA scale) or here (Hüsler scale).
Note: a lot of pre 2009 tour description PDF documents still contain an old asterisk (*) rating, which is basically the same as the one described above. It also ranges from 1 (*) to 5 (*****).
Very important note: the rating scale above is just an indication. There are a lot of other factors to take into account! (see also: Assistent > Hiking & Climbing)
All tour-times are pure hiking or climbing time, so you would have to add up the time you spend on a break to these times! Our experience is that every hour we take a break for 10 minutes. But of course this is really personal! Keep in mind that most duration times located on signs you'll see in the mountains or durations mentioned in tour guides are pure hiking / climbing times, so without the time for breaks! Oh yes, all tour-times are measured in hours. So if you see somewhere: "total time: 2½" it means 2½ hours :)
Please do have a look at the year we made the tour. It's obvious that a route might change throughout the years. A hiking- or climbing route in the mid '90's might not be the same nowadays. Not that they do change often, but it's something you should take into account. The date is (mostly) mentioned in the tour description itself (PDF document).
Yes, you can! Simply download and open the PDF file with the language in which you want to read the tour description (English or Dutch) and select: "file" and then "print". You are not allowed to alter (and can't alter) the tour description text in the PDF document itself. If you don't have a PDF reader, click here.
You can view the info header, pictures and a short description of the tour. To read the complete tour description, you'll have to download and open the PDF document. You can read the descriptions in 2 languages: English and Dutch! Oh yes, before I forget. In the tour descriptions at the Starting Point, you'll see names between [ and ] markers. These are the villages, towns etc. nearby so you can easily find the tour on a larger map.
If you'd like to have a more detailed description of a tour you have seen here, please contact me and I'll tell you more about it (if and when possible!).
Again, read the disclaimer before using the tour descriptions.
Oh and yes, there is a vocabulary! Some typical "mountain words" are hard to translate, so therefore we have created this (small) vocabulary. Read it via the Assistant > Vocabulary.
Well, this is it. Shouldn't be much of a problem, right ?
