This European country plans to create longest walking circle route in the world

It will total 3,000 kilometres and it will form a loop around the country

Do you feel like getting off your seat and going for a walk this summer? Well, in case you have the energy and stamina for it, Portugal is planning to offer you the possibility to walk around the entire country, or 3,000 kilometres in total, thanks to a planned circular hiking trail.

The trail in question will be called Palmilhar Portugal and promises to provide a 360-degree glimpse of the entire country in case you decide to complete it in its entirety. That being said, there is no info on when it is expected to be completed, however, what’s sure is that its first section will be unveiled in July in the town of Alenquer, north of Lisbon.

Alentejo in the centre of the country will come on board next, followed by the northern region of Trás-os-Montes, however, the scale of the project is rather grand because it will involve the participation of one-third of Portugal’s municipalities and its costs could reach 3.5 million euros.

It will also be accessible to mobility-impaired hikers

The idea for the walking trail belongs to Ricardo Bernardes, a communication design consultant, who is working on making it happen. He claims the idea came to him while hiking and wishing to return to the starting point without retracing his steps.

His argument goes even further. Although Portugal is quite a popular tourist destination, especially in the summer, most of the visitors congregate in the capital Lisbon and the coastal region of the Algarve missing out on the many diverse charms that the Iberian country can offer. This also creates overcrowding in terms of tourism in the popular spot.

The circular hiking route thus has the mission to disperse the tourism impact more evenly and let off-the-beaten-track communities also benefit from it.

And if you’re wondering, the longest walking non-circular trail in the world is also contained in one country. Canada’s 24,000-km “Great Trail”, opened in 2017 and traverses the country from coast to coast.