Born to walk
To be honest, I don't remember when I made the decision to start long-distance hiking. After several experiences with car-bound trips, I was fed up. I wanted to travel independently of everything, no dependence on accommodation, vehicles or other people. I hate knowing that I have to arrive somewhere at a certain time because there is an arrival window or whatever. So it was clear to me that my next trip would be on foot.
My next step was to decide on my destination. I've always had an obsession with Scotland and Norway. As Norway seemed a bit too expensive, I looked for flights to Scotland and found tickets for €170 both ways with a large piece of luggage included. Of course, I was aware that it could be cheaper, for example if I flew from Berlin. But I was excited as it was and wanted to make the whole journey there and back a little less stressful. And with success. In the end, the journey to Berlin and back would have cost me almost the same, except that now I only had to travel two stops by train! YAY!
After extensive research into which hiking trail was the easiest to reach, I ended up with my first destination and my absolute favourite so far: West Highland Way.