The E3 European Long Distance Path or E-path extends from Cape Emine on the shores of the Black Sea in Bulgaria to Santiago de Compostela, the famous pilgrimage destination in Spain. At 8,880 kilometres (5,550 miles) it is a longish hike, crossing parts of eleven countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, France and Spain). Created by joining together National Trails to create a Pan European route, there is a gap between the end of the E3 in Bulgaria (where it follows the Kom-Emine Trail) and the E3 in Romania. I am planning to divert onto the E4 in Serbia to bridge this gap. My intention is to complete the E3 in a series of trips, each a month or so long, over the next four to five years. This is subject to my health and fitness as I will be over 70 when I finish.
Two thoughts led me to want to walk the length of the E3. Firstly I have completed the E2 and E4, so filling in the gap by hiking the E3 had a sense of completeness. Secondly, when I talk about the long distance paths I have walked in Europe, people inevitably ask if I have walked the Camino de Santiago, and I regret having to say that I have not. As the section of the E3 through Spain follows the Camino de Santiago (or more correctly one of the several Caminos ending in Santiago), by walking the length of the E3 I would also have completed this pilgrimage.
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| E3 in Luxembourg where it cross the E2, note the scallop symbol of the Camino de Santiago. |
