HIKE: HIKing for a healthier lifestylE along European Cultural Routes
About this good practice
The HIKE project is designed to encourage healthier lifestyles through hiking along European walking routes. Launched on 1 April 2024, and spanning 18 months, this initiative is a collaborative effort involving the Culture Routes Society in Türkiye (project leader), the European Association of the Via Francigena Ways, and the Social Co-operative Entreprise Paths of Greece.
HIKE, an acronym for “HIKing for a healthier lifestylE”, merges physical activity with cultural discovery. This initiative transcends traditional walking events, aiming to foster a healthier lifestyle, enrich understanding of shared heritage, and cultivate a community of hiking enthusiasts. The project is innovative in that it brings the promotion and practice of HEPA (Health-Enhancing Physical Activity) together with Cultural Routes.
A series of 3-days long distance hikes took place from September to November 2024, following selected stretches of the Via Francigena in Italy, Via Egnatia in Greece and the Tolerance way in Türkiye. The project raised awareness of common European heritage, identity and values as walkers followed the footsteps of Romans, Byzantines and mediaeval pilgrims through Southern Italy, Balkans and Asia Minor. The hikes included animation and side events designed to celebrate walking as a universally accessible, all-year-round activity for participants of all backgrounds and abilities.
Expert opinion
Resources needed
The project is financed by the EU under the Erasmus+ programme with a budget of 200,000 euros, distributed among the three partners. The partners involved a contact network of municipalities, local teachers, sports clubs, walking associations and bloggers.
Evidence of success
Focusing on inclusivity, the project engaged diverse groups, such as children, seniors, tourists, sports enthusiasts, and local communities, with all levels of walking experience. The project showed great participation, particularly those who never walked in their lives before or never heard about the cultural routes. A total of 500 people participated in the HIKE events. Thereby HIKE is to be considered a target groups development intervention, bringing new publics to the cultural routes.
Potential for learning or transfer
The project increased awareness of HEPA and cultural routes across different age groups. Promoting HEPA is crucial, since a large proportion of the European population does not meet the WHO recommendations for physical activity. HIKE demonstrated its effectiveness in enhancing physical and mental health when combined with cultural routes. The project serves as a strong example of this approach and can be successfully applied to other cultural routes to achieve similar benefits.
The tools and methodologies developed by HIKE can be shared with a broader network of municipalities, local associations, route managers, national parks and protective areas. A final tutorial is created for follow- up meetings with municipalities in order to show them the steps required to duplicate the project.
In the long run, HIKE aims to boost non-competitive sports like walking and hiking, spreading its impact across other Cultural Routes and encouraging more frequent use of these paths for HEPA.
