It's that time of year, duffel bags, walkie-talkies, tailwind, buckets of soft flasks, sun cream, mosquito repellant, sat phones, and all of the essential clobber we take with us have been stowed away for the next few months as the team swap trail shoes for slippers, sit behind desks instead of run trails…BUT…we are now ambitiously planning, tweaking and finetuning for an even better and more immersive 2023.

As the snow and ice settle outside, the cockles are warmed on the inside with mulled wine, log fires and thoughts turning to Christmas. This momentary pause is a great time for us to reflect on some memorable highlights from 2022.

Since kicking off in March 2022 we've:

Delivered 15 departures from the Azores to the Himalayas

Got through 10 large bags of Tailwind nutrition

Eaten 156 Clif Bars (not exclusively the Pure Trails team either!)

Used 7 tubs of Helmwind SPF50

5 Chafe sticks (mostly by Eddy)

....and countless memories made

Mallorca: Crossing the Tramuntana has become a classic Pure Trails adventure, visiting the island twice this year to traverse the fine blend of mountains, canyons and coast.

It's an experience which always delivers and we look forward to returning to the island in the Spring and Autumn of 2023.

Tempted by this one? Take a peak at the experience page and the attached image gallery.

Albania and its Accursed mountains...wow! A bit like children, we don't have a favourite adventure, but this one is right up there. The country doesn't necessarily conjure up prime wanderlust when you say it out loud, but in reality, this European hidden gem delivers hand over fist when on the ground.

This place is simply a trail paradise, backed up by authentic travel experiences that will see us eating cheese and olives, and washing down glasses of delicious red wine after an exhausting (happy exhausting) day on the trail, with a mountainous backdrop. It's a place that makes memories.

We were lucky to deliver two adventures in Albania in 2022 and return to the country in June 2023.

In July we headed to the Picos de Europa in Northern Spain for a brand new adventure to the National Park. We'd earmarked the Picos for several years, investing in recces and trip design since late 2019. Covid of course got in the way, but we were thrilled to finally get out there in the summer.

This adventure takes things up a notch, and in a change of fashion adopts a fastpacking approach due to the off-grid nature of the trails. It's a testing playground which gets you HIGH above the clouds and flowing along the jagged peak trails...jaw-dropping does not do it justice. Over the course of three demanding days, we completed a circumnavigation of the western massif which was a tremendously rewarding finish for all of the team. Celebratory tapas and Spanish cider certainly helped to toast a wonderful journey.

We are back there in July 2023 and hope to see you there!

Journey to Annapurna is an exhilarating and incomparable trail experience we have recently returned from. Nepal has a firm place in our hearts as it was the inspiration behind Pure Trails foundation many years ago. After 1.5 years of closed borders, it filled our hearts to finally return to this mythical country.

Over the course of two weeks, our group experienced some of the finest trails to grace the earth, a place where mountains grow higher than the horizon, mountains so big you can't quite believe what you are witnessing.

The joy of this trip is the perfect variety of tropical lowland forest, canyons, gorges, snowlines, glaciers, high mountains, hot springs, and cosy tea houses all rolled into one, and not forgetting the warm-hearted approach of the local people who truly make the place come alive.

This experience is backed up by our superb local Nepali team who know how to put on a show.

One of our guests said this was 'One of the best experiences of her life', which is a testament to just how good trail running in the Himalayas is.

With other adventures also to the Lake District, Cotswolds, Isle of Man, Azores, and Switzerland we are so grateful for those that joined us in 2022. It's been a year of making memories and lasting friendships, and it fills our hearts to know we have been able to help facilitate lifelong dreams.

With 2023 closely on the horizon we have an even bigger and more exhilarating lineup including brand new experiences to:

Everest: The Conquest | 29 APRIL - 15 MAY 2023

Intro to Adventure Running | 12 - 14 MAY 2023

Lavaredo: The Ultimate Trail | 10 - 16 JUNE 2023

Georgia: In Search of Transcaucasia | 07 - 15 JULY 2023

Kyrgyzstan: Trails of the Tien Shan | 30 JULY - 09 AUGUST 2023

Iceland: The Discovery | 20 -25 AUGUST 2023

Manaslu: The Great Himalayan Route | 21 OCT - 07 NOV 2023

...and maybe one of two more.

Send us an email if you would like any details on the above: explore@pure-trails.com

Thank you to those who have joined us in 2022, and so we look forward to sharing more amazing trails with you in 2023.

#FINDYOURPATH