Europe's highest-rated hiking trails revealed (and the results might surprise)

Ireland hiking trails
Which country in Europe is rated the best for hiking? (Image credit: Getty Images)

Can you guess the country with the best hiking trails in Europe, according to walkers themselves?

It's Ireland. An analysis of online reviews posted by users of hiking trails across Europe rate Irish hiking trails the most highly.

The study by saveonenergy.com/uk looked at data from fitness and travel site alltrails.com, which has an app that lists more than 200,000 trails.

Data from each country on the app was used to find the average rating by users, taking into account length, elevation, number of walks and number of reviews. 

The total average rating per country was scored out of a maximum of 100 points.

The results placed Ireland's hiking trails in number one position on 87.3 points.

In Ireland, the average walking length is 11,402 steps, which is roughly equivalent to seven miles and enough to get the blood pumping but still within the realms of enjoyment for the casual hiker. 

With the rolling green hills, there is an average elevation of 427 metres over the hiking trails, too.

Runner up is Iceland (86.6), followed by the UK (86.5) in third; Italy (86.1) in fourth; and Spain (84.9) in fifth spot.

The next five places go to: Switzerland (84.6); Norway and Germany (83.7); France and Portugal (83.3); Belgium and Denmark (81.3); and Luxembourg (81).

Fiona Russell
Outdoor writer

Fiona Russell is a widely published adventure journalist and blogger, better known as Fiona Outdoors. She is based in Scotland and is an all-round outdoors enthusiast with favorite activities including trail running, mountain walking, mountain biking, road cycling, triathlon and skiing (both downhill and backcountry). Aside from her own adventures, Fiona's biggest aim is to inspire others to enjoy getting outside and exploring, especially through her writing. She is also rarely seen without a running skort! Find out more at Fiona Outdoors.