HIKE4ALL: Hiking for ALL along the cultural routes

ongoing

“HIKE4ALL: Hiking for ALL along the cultural routes” promotes hiking as an inclusive and holistic activity for health, social interaction, and cultural tourism. The project organizes participatory walking events across six countries—Italy, Norway, Czech Republic, Spain, Türkiye and France, —engaging the general public, disadvantaged groups (such as people with disabilities, rural women, the elderly, and former inmates and substance abusers), walking clubs, and local authorities. Using the infrastructure of cultural routes, HIKE4ALL highlights their potential for health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) and group sports, encouraging municipalities to maintain and promote them as local assets. The selected routes—Via Francigena, Saint Olav Way, Camino de Santiago, Saint Cyril and Methodius Route, St. Paul Trail and Route of the Templars heritage —offer a unique opportunity to explore Europe's cultural heritage while fostering inclusivity and well-being. The project will host hiking events in each project country, ensuring accessibility for all. Each event will feature sports activities, animations, elements of environmental awareness and a workshop on healthy lifestyles and the benefits of walking. By walking in the footsteps of historical travelers, HIKE4ALL raises awareness of European identity while promoting active lifestyles for all. The final event will take place in France and will serve as a platform for exchanging best practices among partners, stakeholders, and experts. The event will highlight successful approaches from each country, fostering collaboration and encouraging the replication of the models across cultural routes. The project will produce a toolkit and a European manual on organizing holistic hiking events along the cultural routes. These resources will compile best practices, guidelines, examples of visual identity and practical recommendations to support stakeholders in replicating and scaling inclusive hiking initiatives across Europe.