E3 in Western Slovakia: Some Comments

The E3 in Western Slovakia follows a series of ridges with many days involving total ascents of over a thousand metres. For this reason I found this part of the E3 strenuous as the ridge has many summits to climb up and down. Although much of the trail is through conifer forest, there are also long sections above the tree line, which in good weather give excellent views to the north and south. However good weather cannot be relied upon.

There are towns and villages on the route with accommodation, shops and restaurants namely Trstena, Zazriva, Strecno, Rajec, Bytca and Makov. Bytca and Strecno also have castles! However, on some sections it is necessary to use a mountain hut or wild camp.

Waymarking is generally good with signs referencing the E3 with timings to the next destination and stripes painted on trees in white and a colour, however there are a few sections where waymarks and signs dissappear so a GPS, phone App or map is needed. Trails are generally good, but forest tracks can be muddy and deeply rutted when there is recent forestry activity. Fallen trees also form obstructions. Trails often head straight up and down steep slopes and when wet can be exceedingly slippery.

The start of my walk through Wesern Slovakia is here.

The start of my blog on the E3 is here.

E3: Makov to Pustevny: Day 137

The major event of today was reaching Czechia, the Czech Republic.

I again made an early start as I was expecting a long day. First I had to climb out of the steep sided, forested valley in which the village of Makov lined a busy road. Leaving the noise of the traffic behind, passing a few houses perched on the hillside, I climbed through the woods until I reached a summit. It was an area where trees had been cut down so I could see the track winding ahead of me to the next stand of mature trees. Some of the trees today, whether beech or conifers were extremely tall.

Tall beech trees beside the path.

My first milestone was reaching a trail heading west, where I switched from the red waymarked trail to a blue one, only to revert to a red track after a few kilometres. Beside me, at regular intervals, I noticed the white boundary stones with red tops that I had seen on the Polish border earlier on my trip. This time they marked the border between Slovakia (the "S" on one side of the stone) and Czechia (marked with a "C"). Following the border by occasional houses led me to the Bumbalka Pass and a major road. As I approached I could hear the whine of lorries straining as they were driven up to the Pass, where they left one country and arrived at the next without stopping. I had hoped for some refreshments but nothing was open. A stall might open on another day, but the  "Motorest" looked unlikely to open ever again. A backpacker, hitching a lift, exchanged a few pleasantries with me before running after a car that stopped for him.

The red route continued uphill along the border under the trees until it decided to commit itself to Czechia. I passed a closed looking hotel with a short ski tow before my route returned me to the road (on a yellow trail), crossing it I started on the ridge (on a red trail) which I would follow for the rest of the day. After walking uphill for a while I began the the usual trek up and down hills among conifers in various stages of maturity. At one point I heard the revving of a chainsaw and the warm, sweet smell of freshly-cut resinous wood. After passing warning signs I deviated into the surrounding forest, giving a man trimming branches off felled trees a wide berth.

Looking down to villages in the valley.

Reaching Martiňák where there is a "wellness" hotel, I stopped at the attached restaurant and bought a hot dog for my lunch. Perhaps my small dinner last night made me hungrier than usual as I was then drawn to a "sweet thing". I ordered a blueberry dumpling. The large fluffy white dumpling contained a blueberry compôt which also formed a purple, blue pool in which the dumpling proudly sat. During the morning my left knee had been giving me pain and refused to bend properly, causing me to stumble on rocks and tree roots. After lunch however it seemed much better which surprised me, as normally stoping for a while causes it to stiffen. Maybe the ibuprofen I had taken three hours earlier was taking effect or else it just liked blueberry dumplings!

Leaving Martiňák I started along a single track road in the direction indicated by a signpost. After a while I checked my GPS and found I was not on the route I had loaded for the E3 from somewhere on the internet. I climbed up through trees to what I thought was the correct route. This was marked with green waymarks. Checking the mapy.com App on my phone I found this was incorrect, the E3 should here be following red waymarks, my gpx track was wrong! So I had to retrace my steps to the single track road. This was an excellent route, at least for my knee, as the road was surfaced with smooth tarmac and contoured the ridge rather than attempting all of its summits. There were no cars, only cyclists freewheeling down the shallow gradient that I was progressing up. As I approached Pustevney, the E3 branched off up a side path, gaining height rapidly to deliver me to my hotel.

The old hotel was occupied by large numbers of excited school children, I had seen some of them out in the woods on my way. Pustevney is a curious place. Created by the Radhošt Mountain Society between 1891 and 1926, there were a few striking buildings with many decorative features in wood and paint. This evening there are many people about. Backpackers, cyclists, groups of men drinking beer, children and parents. Pustevney is, as was intended, a place for tourists. 

An old building at Pustevny.

E3: Bytča to Makov: Day 136

A day made easier as much of my walk was on quiet roads.

I had 30 kilometres to walk today and a boxed breakfast, so with no need for delay I was on my way by 6:30 am. Leaving Bytča via a suspension foot bridge, I was soon passing people walking their dogs or jogging in the suburbs. New houses mingled with an area of decaying buildings with smashed windows or collapsed roofs.

My route this morning was up a long valley, its sides covered with conifers. After a length of track beside fields on the valley floor, I joined a road at the village of Petrovice. There was little traffic. It was Sunday, people were walking to church. The houses were a mixture of modern, rendered buildings often in pastel colours and others made of timber, of logs roughly cut and jointed. Roofs tended to be of red or grey metal sheeting, but sometimes tiled. A little outside the village, under a shelter beside a taped off rectangle of grass, people were preparing for an event. Beyond the houses, where the forest came down to the road, there were a few boards with slits in. I had seen them before and wondered what they were. Google told me they were Ridex slit traps, which use a pheromone to trap bark beetles.

The smooth tarmac meant I was making good time, 4.1 kilometres per hour compared to as low as 2.6 when following ridges recently. Despite favourable conditions underfoot, my left knee was refusing to bend and generally complaining. I took an Ibuprofen and maybe this helped me reach today's destination. Inevitably there was a point where I needed to leave the road and climb up a track. Despite being uphill the route was good, the tracks not destroyed by forestry vehicles. Today was not a ridge walk but a means to cross the mountains from one valley system to the next. Although I was walking through conifer forest, there were plenty of gaps to see the view back, to the south. On reaching a ski tow, I could also see in a northerly direction, down towards Makov. On occasional meadows, the sparse, long grass was dotted with yellow, pink and blue from the buttercups, clover, speedwells and forget-me-nots. A few people were about on a Sunday ramble or bicycle ride. Despite a light shower which lasted long enough to put my waterproofs on, most of the day was dry and sometimes sunny.

Good tracks.

Houses in the mountains with the forested mountains beyond.

I had left Bytča on the green trail and later switched to red waymarks. Signs gave me the wrong impression of how far it was to my Penzion in Makov, a consequence of Makov being strung out along the valley, with a sub village called Makov-Kopanice for which timings were given on the signs. My accommodation was in another part of Makov a few kilometres further on, along a road frequented by cyclists and motorbikes.

Arriving too early to check in, I had lunch at the nearby "Motorest", a traditional Slovakian dish of potato dumplings with a sheeps' cheese sauce and bacon and sausage bits. It was fortunate that I had a good lunch as when I returned to the restaurant at 7 p.m. for some dinner, I was told the kitchen was closed. The waitress kindly checked to see if anything might be found for me, and the answer was tripe soup, there were no other options. Although not my favourite, this was my supper, followed by an ice cream, which did not require any cooking.

E3: Bytča rest day: Day 135

A day visiting tourist sites, drinking coffee and resting, which unfortunately does not appear to be improving my knee.

Bytča has three main tourist sites. The first was the Church of All Saints. Although 700 years old it has been subject to many changes, the interior looks Baroque. I sat for a while praying for my knee. Unfortunately the prayer was not effective as my knee stiffened as the morning progressed! On my way to the second site I passed an old Synagogue, abandoned behind fences, its rendering in disrepair. Dating from the 19th century, there are plans to repair the building and open it as a cultural centre. Opposite were the two other sites, Bytča Castle and the Wedding Palace. Both closed today unfortunately but the outsides were impressive. The renaissance castle from 1591 was square in plan with a pointy tower at each corner and another tower above the entrance, all ringed by an outer wall. George Thurzo built the Wedding Palace in 1601 for his daughters' wedding banquets in renaissance style. According to the internet there is a niche for the wedding bed where guests could see the marriage consummated. Not something I would fancy if I were the groom!

Bytča Castle.

Detail from the outside of the Wdding Palace.

There are at least two good cukráreň in Bytča, both of which I sampled. At one I had a Dubai cheesecake and the other a strudel, but not an apple strudel, maybe gooseberry? Most people however were enjoying Saturday with an ice cream.

One of Bytča's coffee and cake shops.

On my way to the centre I passed a graveyard. Many people were out polishing the granite slabs on their families' graves. Most graves had little lamps or flowers (possibly artificial), they looked cared for unlike some of those in Britain. Back at my Penzion there was another function in progress, with disco lights and DJ, but my mind was on the next three days, which would be long. I was hoping my knee would hold out.

E3: Rajec to Bytča: Day 134

After crossing the first mountain I climbed up to a ridge which I followed for many more kilometres as cloud and rain moved in.

I did not hurry this morning as check in for my accommodation this evening was not until 6 p.m., I also needed to visit the chemist to buy a strip of plasters. My wet left boot was rubbing the top of my toes making them sore. A length of fabric plaster solved the problem but it became wet and had to be replaced each day. I was running out of plasters so needed to buy some more. Showing the old packet to the shop keeper meant I soon had a new one.

Around 9:00 am I started off. My left knee was stiff this morning, so I swallowed an ibuprofen and until I stopped at Bytča, it did not complain too much. My day began with a climb up to the first summit, overtaking a group of young school children in a variety of cheerfully coloured clothing. A little after the path entered conifer fotest and grew steeper until I reached an observation tower at the top.  From the tower I could see the road on which I entered Rajec. The dark bluey green of the tree covered mountains contrasted with the more yellowy greens of the fields below.

Looking back at Rajec, the road beyond is the one I entered the town on from the mountains in the distance.

After my descent from this first mountain I followed a path through beech trees up to a ridge, which was my destiny for the rest of the day. At first I was pleased, no overjoyed, that the path took a lateral approach. Gradually gaining height by following a line along the side of the ridge, rather than going straight up the slope in the usual way in these parts. In this gentle fashion the top of the ridge was reached.

An enjoyable, gradual climb up the side of the ridge.

However once on the ridge, the path ran north along its crest, not deviating from the highest points except when impeded by larger outcrops of rock. The usual roller coaster ensued, the trail rising up and down each summit, often steeply, slowing me down as I negotiated tree roots, slippery earth and rocks. At first, between the beech trees that grew on the ridge, I could see valleys populated by fields, villages and houses strung out along roads. Later the cloud came in and with it cold wind and rain. My field of view was limited to nearby trees and cliffs or sharp drops to my left, and steep wooded slopes to my right. With the hood of my coat up I faced the usual problem of my glasses misting up. Often I left my hood down, exposed to the rain so I could better see where the path went. This was not always obvious. Picking the wrong path I arrived at the top of a cliff on a precarious animal track. Instead the correct path dropped through a cleft in the cliff to my left, squeezed between the cliff and a tree, and then dropped rapidly for several feet until it stabilised as a viable footway.

I had been following the green waymarked path out of Rajec, then switched to the red path, which I hoped would result in me leaving the ridge in a gentle descent. This mistaken impression was soon removed as I climbed among a selection of large rocks. Conglomerates containing rounded pebbles. Had they not been lost among very tall beech trees these monstrous outcrops would have been impressive features, and probably widely praised as a giant's rock garden. One area was used for rock climbing according to the signs, but today there were no climbers and I saw only one couple walking in the ridge in the wet weather.

One of the large outcrops of rock obscured by trees and mist.

After the red path had entertained me with its structureless rock columns I joined the blue path which led me gratefully down to civilisation. Leaving trees for meadows, then grass for roads I passed through the village of Hrabové. A busy road, now waymarked in green, led me the final kilometres to the town of Bytča.

Path across a meadow on my approach to Hrabové.

As I have decided on a rest day tomorrow when I could investigate the town more thoroughly, I merely stopped for dinner, the time now 6 p.m.. A kebab and chips sufficed, the guy serving proudly telling me they made their own bread. Leaving the town for my Penzion, a little way out, I noticed a cake shop still open. So I had a dessert of chocolate tort and an expresso lungo.

At my Penzion, a wedding reception was in full swing. Folk music was playing loudly, men in suits had abandoned their jackets and were smoking outside. Women in their best frocks sat at tables and children were screaming. Staff were hanging about, the meal service now over. One of them, who had a little English, struggled with my passport and the Penzion's IT system. Finally I was in my room and showering off the sweat of the day, looking forward to my evening phone call with my wife as my knee, having finished its day, became stiff and swollen. 

E3: Chata Javorina to Rajec: Day 133

Good and bad today in my descent to Rajec.

Breakfast at Chata Javorina was ham and eggs. I just pointed at what the people on the table next to me were having. I ate it looking out at the wet weather outside on the mountain top, raindrops on the window, cloud below. Forecasts have been deteriorating. Today was previously predicted as being dry but now has rain until later afternoon. A mixture of paths and tracks today. Things went well at first crossing a number of nearby peaks in intermittent rain. There were views of clouds below and clouds above.

Clouds below and above on the E3.

After the early peaks there were attractive paths lined with wild garlic winding through the trees. Areas of beech trees replaced spruce trees for a while. Beech saplings crowded the path in places, depositing their accumulated water on me as I pushed through. My glasses repeatedly misted up beneath the hood of my rain jacket. Sadly the path lost height, dropping down to 990 metres, after which there were uphill sections to reach the summit of Hnilická Kýčera at 1217 metres. A straight climb might have been acceptable but the trail went over a series of minor summits, up and down repeatedly in a demotivating fashion as I knew each descent meant an extra ascent later on.

Woodland walk up a hill among the wild garlic.

I finally reached the top of Hnilická Kýčera, the last of the high mountains today. The effort was not rewarded by a scenic view, I could see little except cloud and mist. Then I faced the challenge of going down. The descent was a wet, slippery, earth track that headed straight down the steep slope. There was no way you could go down it except on your bottom. Instead I kept diverting off the main track onto little paths people had made to manage a more controlled descent. I also trampled down vegetation off the path, breaking fallen branches underfoot, in an effort to achieve a grip, and get down with damaging my knee. Despite these efforts, in places a controlled slide was inevitable, I could see where others had done so from the skid marks. I yearned for the Alpine paths of the GR5 which zig zagged steadily up and down to passes higher than the mountains I have crossed today.

Steep, slippery path down from Hnilická Kýčera.

Eventually I reached Sedlo pod Hnilickou Kýčerou (at 1027 metres), a saddle where the E3 switches from the red waymarked path, heading south-west towards yet more high summits, to a green path going north-west to reach where the E3 in Slovakia connected with the E3 in the Czech Republic. A bell hung at the junction for some reason. At first the green waymarked track descended quickly, albeit with a few bends rather than straight down. It then settled into a good track at a reasonable gradient followed by a low gradient tarmac road. After the stresses of the ridge path it felt wonderful to walk on the even surface of the road, allowing my knee to relax a little. As if to agree the rain stopped and there were brief periods of sunshine, although the mountain tops were still wrapped in cloud. Several cyclists passed me first going up, then returning on the way down. Each side of the road, hugely tall spruce trees stretched up the steep valley sides. In a wetter area dark purple dusky crane's bill, mingled with chervil and gunnera.

At last a level track!

Leaving the woodland it was a final push to get to Rajec in time for a coffee and cake. I had the cukráreň marked on my GPS but when I arrived at the location it looked like a house typical of the area, with what looked like a garage door on one side, a door of the type that normally leads to an area behind the house. Closer examination revealed a sign with the coffee shop openning times. Being within these I openned the door within the larger door, and beyond I found an entrance to the coffee shop. The strawberry cheesecake and expresso lungo was worth the effort.

Afterwards I went to the accommodation I had booked. A single storey house, one room wide, also entered via a door in what looked like a garage door. Furnished with old pieces of furniture, faded photographs and interesting paintings, the owner helpfully spoke English. After a bath (the facilities dated from before the time when showers became popular) I went to a restaurant in the main square. Eating on the terrace outside I watched kids cycle and skate around the square. There was a "beach" volleyball court in the centre where youngsters were messing around without actually having a proper game.

E3: Strečno to Chata Javorina: Day 132

A short day as a severe weather alert made me choose to stay at a mountain hut rather than wild camping a further along the trail.

My path up through the forest.

The weather forecasts for today were for thunderstorms this afternoon. Being on an exposed ridge getting soaked was bad enough but the risk of lightening as well made me take action to mitigate the risks. This involved booking into a mountain hut, Chata Javorina, which was on my route and which I could reach by lunchtime. Unfortunately it means a longer day tomorrow, I may not get to Rajec, my destination, before the cake shop closes!

There was a misunderstanding over breakfast. I had agreed with a lady speaking a little English yesterday for breakfast at 7:30 a.m.. However the lady this morning had me down for breakfast at 6:30, she showed me the written instruction she had received. My food, fried eggs and ham, was on the table, but having been cooked an hour earlier was rather cold! I ate it nevertheless, and was supplied with a hot coffee. Language confusion is inevitable at times, one just has to accept it.

This morning consisted of a long climb. Over 1200 metres of ascent through the forest, with views back down to the valley where trees have been cut down. The landscape falls into two distinct categories: on the flat valley floors, towns, villages and farmland; covering the hills and mountains darker green conifers with the occasional open meadow in a lighter shade. I spotted a flower I do not recall seeing before, called spreading bellflower.

Looking back at Strečno.

Spreading Bellflower.

On my way up, a large forestry vehicle dragging a collection of tree trunks stopped. He said something to me but being in Slovakian I do not know what. I said I was English and he shrugged his shoulders and headed off. Maybe it was to warn me that trees were being felled up the track, I could hear the sound of the chainsaw but did not get close, or he could have been warning me of the weather forecast.

On a particularly long steep section I missed a turning. Having climbed to the top of the slope I had no wish to go down again to find the path. Instead I took the risky decision of following a track that went in the right direction (i.e. up the ridge). Fortunately it met up with the path I should have been on, otherwise I would have been really upset.

My first milestone was reaching the summit of Mincŏl, the third mountain of that name on this trip (it means "mint"). On the way up there was an unexpected old artillery piece, reading up on the internet it appears to commemorate the Slovak National Uprising against the German occupation of Slovakia in 1944. While I was pleased to reach Mincŏl before any rain, I was less pleased with having to loose height before climbing up to the next summit. On the way a couple of mountain bikes came towards me. I made sure to stand off the side of the path so that we did not become entangled, as they passed I think they were saying thank you.

I was hurrying to reach the mountain hut before the rain started. A few spots fell as I walked behind an enclosure containing large aerials and associated buildings. As I approached the hut the rain increased, instead of putting my waterproofs on I tried to jog being so near (difficult with a rucksack). Then once I was inside the rain immediately stopped! Since then the rain showers have come and gone, I have watched the rain moving along the valley from the windows of the hut. No thunder or lightening. At least I have saved myself getting wet.

Communication with the lady running the hut has been cumbersome due to my inability to speak Slovak. All mountain huts seem to have different ways of doing things which does not help. We have been using the translation Apps on our phones. However I managed to get a lunch of goulash soup followed by apple strudel. For dinner, fried cheese and chips. I thought I might have been alone in staying in the hut apart from the lady in charge and her small dog, but a few other hikers have now arrived. The television has been on in the dining room. Keir Starmer made an appearance on the news, but the main item was "problems with bears".

There has been rain, heavy at times, but it has now stopped raining. Fine weather is promised for tomorrow. 

View from hut window in a brief period of clearer weather.

E3: Pekelnik to Strečno: Day 131

Better weather today with good views from the high ridge, but a long, painful descent.

When I put my boots on this morning I discovered one of the laces had broken overnight while they lay in the "porch" area of my tent. Or perhaps not broken but eaten through by some tiny animal and then one of the two parts pulled out. I tied the two parts together and hoped that there would be no further breaks.

In the night, leaving my tent for a call of nature, I saw a fuzzy orange moon, and far away in the valleys, lights from distant villages. Sadly, when I woke in the morning this scene had dissolved into a white mist. Starting early the mist cleared as I walked. Wisps of cloud kept crossing my view driven by a cold wind, especially when I took out my camera to capture a scene, but when the sun lit the forested valleys above the cloud filled lowlands, with "islands" of hills poking through, it was amazing.

View to the north of "islands" poking through the clouds.

In the mud of the path I could see the footsteps of the people who had walked by my tent last night, and later this morning met a group of eight heading for one of the higher peaks. A few others were out walking lower down. Knowing that I am not the only person in the mountains gave me a sense that I am doing something that others appreciate too. Among the things to appreciate in these high mountains were the flowers, such as the blue trumpets of the southern gentian in clefts of rock and the purple orchids among the grasses.

Mountains and orchids.

I made the steep climb up to Malý Kriváň (1671 metres) and from this summit could see three peaks ahead of me on the ridge. The middle one was most concerning as it was a large stump of rock with scrub sized pines growing where they were able. This peak was called Biele Skaly and I approached it with trepidation. I could have bypassed it on a yellow trail, but I had memories of tree roots from the previous day and the path did not look well developed. Fortunately it was not raining today as it was a scramble up and down Biele Skaly on bare rock. Not difficult, there were plenty of hand and foot holds, but it was unexpected and progress was slow as I was being careful, thinking of my age and lack of agility. 

After the final summit it was a steep drop down to a glade where Chata Pod Suchým was located. This was a mountain hut offering accommodation and food. However, when I looked in there seemed no-one around. I continued on the ridge, at first pleasantly flat but then heading down steeply on a rough path. My knees were suffering and were not pleased when I spotted the river and the road beside it. My accommodation was at the same level as the river, and although the river and road were nearby (I could hear the cars) they were a long, long way down.

A long way down to the river and my accommodation for the night.

Cursing the prolonged, steep descent and rough rocks I finally reached Starý Hrad (Old Castle). A square tower and a few walls remained of this fortress, which dates from the 13th century. Once I reached the comfort of a flat road beside the river I could see the castle which replaced it on the far side of the river, called Strečno Castle. Its ruins looked more extensive. 

Starý Hrad (Old Castle)

I crossed the wide River Váh on a bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, cars have to use a ferry. Turning towards Strečno on the opposite side I spotted a stall selling ice cream and coffee, at which I indulged while watching passing cyclists. There were many about, there seems a good cycle path beside the river.

Now in my hotel which is above a Pizzeria, where I of course had pizza for dinner.

E3: Zázrivá to Pekelnik: Day 130

Although it rained all day I found I managed the long ascent better than I expected. 

One of my clearer views today.

Suprisingly, my left knee did not have much fluid on it this morning. Maybe the effect of an early finish yesterday followed by use of my compression sleeve? First job this morning was to buy some food at the Coop for breakfast and wild camping tonight. After doing that I managed to buy an Expresso Lungo at the bar next door from the lady cleaning the tables.

Today was a walk along a ridge, called the Malá Fatra, over numerous summits. I decided to divert around three of these summits. The first hill was a diversion to avoid a bit of the road walking, which made little sense to me, I just followed the road. In doing so I passed three cabins selling local produce such as cheese and also coffee and tea as a sideline. None of them was doing any business on a rainy Monday morning. Feeling sorry for them, and because a bit of caffeine is no bad thing, I stopped for another coffee at a stall with chairs, sheltered from the rain by umbrellas, just before I left the main road.

Continuing up a side road and then a good track, I was pleased to gain height on a good surface for a while, although sweating with the effort in my waterproofs. Reaching a point where the E3 (waymarked with red) climbed over two summits I decided to follow a yellow route around them. I did not feel too guilty about this departure from the E3 as the visibility in the mountains could be measured in metres, there would be no views from them today. In addition the path over one of the summits was closed according to the "Mapy" app. It was a route involving ladders. Even if the path was open, climbing up and down ladders plus the associated rocks in the rain did not seem prudent. I had feared that my yellow route might be blocked by fallen trees but it proved a pleasant and easy path to follow. Although there were some significant uphill sectioms much of it contoured the mountainside which I particularly appreciated.

After rejoining the E3 I took another opportunity to divert around another summit on a yellow trail. This time I was not so successful. There was much climbing over the gnarly roots of trees on the side of the steep slope, and outcrops of rock requiring hands as well as feet. The continuing rain made everything slick and to avoid an accident I was forced to move at a crawl (sometimes literally), carefully picking where to place my feet.

A trail I took to avoid a summit proved rather taxing with all the roots and rocks.

On rejoining the E3 there followed a steep downhill path. Water was running down it turning the earth into a surface impossible to avoid slipping on. I diverted onto the surrounding vegetation among the trees and made full use of my trekking poles, placing them ahead of me for support as my muddy boots were not gripping. Fortunately the path flattened out and I then made good progress along the ridge. There were numerous summits with rocks poking through, and the stones made for better grip. Each side of me the ridge dropped away steeply, disappearing into white mist. The ridge was free of trees and being so high up, on a clear day the views must be magnificent. I will be continuing along the ridge tomorrow and hopefully visibility will be better then. 

Following the ridge through cloud.

Now I was on higher ground there were flowers I had not seen before, such as delicate blue Alpine Snowbells, white and yellow Mountain Avens and blue Alpen-Kreuzeblume.

Alpine Snowbell.

The highest peak I reached was Chleb at 1646 metres. After the peak there was a saddle, Snilovské Sedlo. Unlike previous days I encountered no shelters or covered areas where I could have lunch out of the rain. As Snilovské Sedlo was at the top of a couple of ski lifts I was hoping for something there, but the two cabins were both padlocked. I was forced to content myself with a "Snickers" eaten quickly before I became too cold.

Having crossed Pekelnik summit, the point I planned to reach today I started looking for a place to camp. Finding a flat area, sheltered somewhat from the wind coming over the ridge, I decided to pitch there. It was only 4 pm but the rain had now penetrated my waterproofs and I was beginning to feel cold, nor was I sure that any flat spots would be available later, much of the ridge is quite sharp. In addition tomorrow's forecast was better, so maybe I will be able to see the surrounding countryside.

Despite seeing no-one other than a shepherd with his dog and flock of sheep shortly after leaving the road, a few minutes after getting settled into my tent someone walked by talking to his phone or a companion. He did not stop. I was a little concerned as I had seen signs including the no camping symbol, but having not seen anyone I had not tried to hide my tent from the path.

All my stuff is damp.

E3: Javorova to Zázrivá: Day 129

A tiring day, up and down mountains to the village of Zázrivá.

My track among tall trees and a few fallen ones.

Having decamped I began my way down to the Prislop Pass. Fallen trees made the first part difficult and then the track downhill became worse as it was churned up by heavy forestry vehicles. On reaching an area of grassland things improved. There were chairs and a table with an information board referencing the E3, then a good stretch of meadow to walk across, first downhill then uphill. Eventually, another downhill track took me to Prislop Pass.

I was two hours too early for the café so I began the next section of trail by struggling over piles of gravel and rock being used for repairs to the road crossing the pass. After the pass there was a long period of uphill. I fondly remembered my walk on the GR5 (E2) in the French Alps, where you walked up to a pass and then down the other side. Whereas here, the E3 follows the high points of ridges, in consequence you walk down to a pass, and then head uphill as you leave it. The climbing continued for much of the day's walk, reaching successively higher peaks. Initially it was on forest tracks, often deeply rutted and obstructed by fallen trees. I wondered if they had fallen naturally, but I often could not connect the tree with any nearby broken stump. Possibly they were brought down as collateral damage when foresters felled larger trees and they were then pulled out of the way. Later there was a change, the route switched to a pleasant path that wound around younger fir trees with blueberry bushes each side. There was areas of grassland today where I spotted the dwarf yellow cinquefoil, its bright colours enhancing the landscape.

Pleasanter path.

Dwarf yellow cinquefoil.

The highest point was Mincŏl at 1394 metres (the second mountain I have crossed with this name). Just before the summit, half hidden by mist, there were three ski lifts and a couple of towers with multiple aerials. At the summit sign post a couple of day walkers were having a sandwich. I carried on but they later overtook me, moving much quicker and more confidently than myself on the slippery downward track.

Zázrivá, the village where I had booked accommodation, seemed to take a long time to arrive, with an extra hill in the way that I was not expecting. Timings on signs were optimistic, at least for myself. However all things come in the end. On entering the settlement I spotted an ice cream stall where I, of course, stopped for a cone. Having booked into my appartment, completed my chores, rewarded myself by phoning my wife, I went to investigate the restaurant. Sadly they were not serving food tonight (Sunday) and the waiter indicated you needed a car to reach the next place open. (I had to use Google Translate as no English appeared to be spoken in this village). I settled for a beer and peanuts while watching the house martins swoop around the square. I will eat my emergency rations tonight and buy more tomorrow morning when the shops are open.

The mountains around me looked very high, it looks like it could be a tough day tomorrow especially as rain is forecast.

My next mountais viewed from Zázrivá.

E3: Trstena to Javorova: Day 128

A wet day walking over mountains and crossing a dam.

Leaving my hotel my rucksack felt heavy as I will be wild camping tonight and so I am carrying extra food and water. After an hour or so I get used to the weight, at least to a degree. Despite the weight I paused in the main square in front of my hotel to read a few of the information boards and look in at the Franciscan Church. I learnt that Trstena has a long history as an important town in the Orava region but did not stop to visit any more of the listed sites.

The first part of my day was a climb up to the summit of Uhlisko in intermittent rain and then a descent down the other side to the Orava hydroelectric dam. All through trees, tall conifers, except for an area of long grass on the way down. From the grassland I could see across the flooded valleys of a huge reservoir. Under the lowering clouds the water's surface looked like dusty mercury. The final stretch to the dam was through trees, overgrown and wet, it was little used by humans.

Reservoir behind Orava dam.

The dam itself could do with a café, I was not the only one walking across it, and with the poor weather, viewing the water from the inside of a café would have been pleasant. An information board refered to villages that had been flooded when the dam was built in the 1950's. After the dam it was a matter of climbing up and along the next ridge, a long ridge of fir trees that I would follow for many kilometres. Starting this climb was made difficult as the point where the path left the road, by a faded sign, was overgrown with tree saplings. Much pushing and crashing through branches was needed until I reached a clearer if narrow path. Then the route crossed a large field of crops. I kept to lines made by tractor tyres to avoid doing too much damage. After that the E3 joined larger tracks through forestry for the remainder of the day. Some of these were heavily rutted by the passage of many large forestry vehicles, dragging logs. There were large pools of water and areas of mud. The rain made even some of the better tracks slippery, especially as mud accumulated on my boots. However there were often little paths making diversions around the worst sections. Tracks not recently used by vehicles faced the problem of fallen trees, again often requiring extensive diversions. While forestry activity generally left a mess of ruts, mud and broken branches, they did consider hikers. Trees on which footpath waymarks had been painted were cut off above the red and white painted stripes, leaving unusually tall stumps.

Muddy and rutted tracks.

There were several summits on the ridge to climb over. The Stations of the Cross led up to one of the earlier high points. At the 14th station there was a covered shelter where I had a snack. I passed a number of simple shelters, a roof over a table and benches, very handy for hikers like myself. There were also notice boards which read like a prayer from the woods, pointing out all the useful things the forest provides and asking you to protect it. Magurka summit had a large transmiter tower. A little after was a cottage where you could stay if you made the right arrangements. It had a "Self Service Buffet" where I put 2 Euros into the honesty box for a soft drink. The highest summit was Budin at 1221 metres. There were some views when the clouds cleared of villages in the valleys below, other times mist embraced me.

Misty view of a village below me.

My aim was to camp a few kilometres short of the Prislop Pass, maybe I am a little further away but seeing a flat spot among the trees a little before the Javorova summit I decided to pitch my tent. Soon after the rain began again with peals of thunder, so I count myself fortunate. 

Tall trees in the mist.

E3: Chochołów to Trstena: Day 127

A return to Slovakia with a climb over mountains with grassland and fir trees.

A walk through grassland and fir trees.

Chochołów is close to the border so I was soon leaving Poland and striding into the first Slovak village, Suchá Hora. According to Wikipedia it is a village that has repeatedly changed which country it is part of. Rather than take a direct route to Trstena, my destination for today, the E3 employs a curved route southward to the village of Oravice, then curves north to Trstena, taking in a few mountains. First it followed the border posts south. Tracks came and went but I kept heading in the general direction indicated by my GPS, initially through grassland rich in blue forget-me-nots and yellow buttercups and dandelions, plus a few purple orchids. Fallen trees frequently obstructed me today, necessitating diversions around them. At one of the first, a man was standing with a chainsaw ready. Despite me indicating I was English and had no Slovak, he gave me a long explanation about something. I smiled and nodded then continued on my way. Leaving the border posts the trail continued to climb through conifers. Apart from a single direction sign at Suchá Hora I saw no waymarks and wondered if my gpx track for the E3, taken from Waymarkedtrails.org, was correct for this stretch. After reaching a high point the track dropped steeply. Shortly before the village of Oravice I saw a faded yellow waymark before a particularly difficult section of fallen trees. 

Looking down on Oravice.

Oravice had a waterpark that was under construction; a well populated open air swimming pool surrounded by sun loungers with people spread across them in their bathing costumes; shut up stalls, stationary ski lifts, and a buffet open and selling food and drink. I ordered a langos with cheese and tomato ketchup. I first tried langos, a sort of fried, savoury dough, in Hungary. While cheese is a common and welcome accompaniment the ketchup that the waitress suggested was something new. Having tried it I would avoid adding it to langos in the future.

I knew from my research last night that after Oravice there would be a big climb up to the summit of Skorušina at 1314 metres. Having this fore-knowledge the uphill section was not too depressing. At the summit there was an observation tower so you could look over the surrounding trees. The ladder up was steep and I felt I had climbed enough. There was then a long, slow descent following green waymarks. In the dusty track there were prints made by people's boots, bikes, vehicles, deer and a bear. From the size of the feet it was a small bear. I had been on the lookout for bear prints throughout my time in Slovakia but these were the first I had seen.

Bear prints.

Once out of the trees I could see Trstena ahead of me and beyond a large reservoir which I will visit tomorrow. However it seemed to take a long time to reach it and my left knee was complaining after all the descent. Finally reaching my hotel in the centre of Trstena I was worried to see a notice on the door leading to the reception with red letters, was it closed? Using Google Translate to see what it meant I discovered that they were looking for a new receptionist, as a permenant employee. Fortunately the old receptionist was still there and checked me in. I had arrived in the town centre too late for the cake shop, but I enjoyed a evening meal at the restaurant attached to the hotel, sitting outside with the locals who were chatting over a Friday night drink. I probably enjoyed it too much as I ordered a second beer. Usually a mistake which I had avoided on this trip up to now.

Approach to Trstena.

E3 in Eastern Slovakia: Comments

I have divided the E3 in Eastern Slovakia into three aspects, first the cities.

Košice is not on the trail but you might use it as a regional transport and supply hub. The city has an attractive centre, well worth a visit. Prešov is on the trail, a smaller city than Košice it also has an old centre with restaurants, churches and attractive architecture. A good place for rest and resupply.

Secondly, sections of the trail are through the lowlands, especially in the south. These often follow quiet roads. Fields of crops form the scenery and there are villages with welcome shops where you can buy a drink and ice cream.

Then there are the mountain sections, which form most of the route. These are forested typically with beech trees. Although the mountains are not that high, only a few peaks exceed a thousand metres above sea level, there is a lot of climbing up and down from summit to summit, usually over a thousand metres each day. Villages are at the bottom of valleys so once in the mountains you will not be able to buy food and the lack of accommodation means wild camping will be needed. There was one mountain hut on the route where I enjoyed lunch, but check openning times. By the village of Herl'any the E3 gives you alternatives. Either go through the village using the blue route to the south and the green trail to the north, or stay on the red waymarks and miss out the village. Herl'any has a Geyser erupting every 36 hours, a pizzeria and a "buffet", which is a bar selling drinks and snacks. Points of interest on the mountainous parts of the E3 in Slovakia include a couple of ruined castles, a First World War cemetery and a monument to a Second World War battle as well as various viewpoints (in good weather).

Where the E3 follows the border between Slovakia and Poland the trail literally follows the stones marking the international boundary. The route goes straight up and down mountains with some very steep sections. Unless you leave the ridge for accommodation and food you will need to wild camp and carry five days or so of food from the last shop in Slovakia at Terna. Water sources are scarce so you will need to carry plenty and have marked the location of springs when planning. This means a lot of weight to carry up and down steep slippery slopes. I did not reach the end of this section but do not imagine it changes much. If ever I repeated this part I would next time include deviations off the trail for accommodation and variety. The rain and mist probably did not help my appreciation of the route.

Fingerposts beneath metal umbrellas are very useful, they refer to the E3 and give timings to upcoming destinations. However be warned, I found the times given were optimistic. There are also frequent waymarks consisting of three horizontal stripes, white, a colour, and white again.

The start of my blog on my walk through Eastern Slovakia is here.

The start of my blog on my walk along the E3 is here.

A signpost for the E3 and other trails.

You will see a lot of trees on the trail.

E3: Jawor to Zdynia: Day 116

Another day of steep ascents and descents until I turned off onto the road to Zdynia.

Although there was a dense mist, today there was no rain for which I was thankful. Among the mist, groups of bright yellow marsh marigolds in wetter areas added colourful highlights to the day. The low points were the many steep, uphill sections and ridiculous downhills. Going down from Płaziny's summit was particularly memorable as it dropped over a 100 metres in elevation. The gradient was extreme and the earth was slippery due to the recent rain. Fallen leaves gave no purchase. My trekking poles were essential to stop me sliding. I slipped once onto my bottom, I was close on several occasions. For part of the way a rope had been attached to the trees to help. Such steep gradients up and down were enervating and made me glad I was leaving this path today. I thought fondly of the Alps where paths tend to take an oblique route up mountains, zig-zagging gracefully rather than just heading straight up in a brutal assault.

Rope to help go up and down a ridiculously steep path.

At a crossroads in the track I was faced with a "No Entry" sign due to tree felling, a crossed out person made the message clear in any language. The path to my left might have offered a means to bypass the work which I could hear in the distance, however this also had a warning sign. Details on this second sign were confused in that they described a route that ended at the pass where I now stood. I decided to simply ignore the "No Entry" and continued up the trail. I encountered no foresters. From the noise they were working to the left of me.

Javorina was one of the higher peaks I crossed today. Sadly all I could see from the specially built viewing platform was white mist, the information board showed that on a clear day many distant mountains were visible. The most interesting sight on this section was a First World War cemetery. Apparently the front between Austrian and Hungarian troops to the south and Russians to the north, ran along here. The hundreds buried from both sides were from a particularly deadly battle in March 1915.

First World War cemetery.

After that I left the E3 on which I had been heading east and turned north into Poland on a quiet and very straight road. I will pick up the northern part of this loop of the E3 tomorrow and follow it west, making progress towards the Atlantic Ocean where the E3 finally ends. Each side of the road there were large areas of richly coloured grass dotted with dandelions and being grazed by cows. Higher up the hillside the trees began, part of the forest I had been walking through for the last few days.

In the valley south of Zdynia.

Although I thought of Poland as a Roman Catholic country, along the road I noticed a church that looked distinctly Orthodox with bulbous spires. By its door (sadly locked) a board said it was built as a Greek Catholic Church in 1903 but is now used as an Orthodox Church. In the same enclosure, in front of the church, was a children's football pitch which seemed incongrous but I thought a pleasing combination. I saw another Orthodox church a little way off the road a few miles later. Zdynia was signed in both the Latin alphabet and Cyrillic. Investigations on the internet suggested that the Orthodox Churches and Cyrillic script was associated with the Lemko ethnic group (a subgroup of the Rusyns) which were concentrated in this area.

Unexpected Orthodox Church.

I had booked accommodation in a cabin although had a little trouble entering as the owner was in Ukraine. Now I am in, I have various items drying over doors.

E3: Pusta to Jawor: Day 115

Another day of climbing up and down steep hills in mixed woodland.

Overnight rain meant that I packed away a very wet tent mixed in with fallen leaves, the rest of my belongings were just damp. Light rain was still falling, which slowly morphed into a misty day with drops of water falling from the trees above me whenever the wind blew. If I brushed against leaves, beside or above the path, they transfered their water to me, so my waterproofs stayed on, usually with my hood up. Large pools of brown water collected at low points on the track which I had to work away around.

Today was similar to yesterday walking through mixed woodland, up and down hills. At times the path edged fields, kept for hay. The fields were often on the Polish side and woodland on the Slovak side, differences in land use in each country. I was amused by the use of plastic bottles as insulators on sections of electric fence. Among the grasses there were pink and yellow Elder-Flowered Orchids (according to my App).

Yellow Elder-Flowered Orchid.

I crossed a road adorned with Border Crossing Signs, after which my main goal was Lacková or Lackowa, depending on whether you spelt it the Slovak or Polish way. It was a mountain which the map showed as a short ridge surrounded by closely spaced contours. I stopped at the base to pick up water from a spring then began the long, extremely steep climb. Last night's rains had made the ground extremely slippery. To gain a grip on the slope I tried to step from rock to rock, from one tree root to another. My trekking poles proved essential to stabilise me on the slick incline. I dug their points into the ground to gain a purchase. At times I almost had to use my hands. By using much of my reserves of energy I eventually reached the top of slope, after which there was a gentler walk to the absolute summit.

At that summit two Polish flags were boldly waving in the breeze. A lady with a Belgian Shepherd dog was there when I arrived. She asked me to take a photo of her below the summit sign, and did the same for me while her dog sat obediently. Having confirmed I was camping, she asked if I was afraid of the bears. There are so few about I told her "no" and added I had not spotted any of their footprints, which are obvious being rather large. She must had taken pity of me camping in the wet as she gave me two bars of chocolate, explaining she did not need them as she would be home in a few hours where her husband would have cooked dinner for her. There were a few people out today for a Sunday walk, and one mountain biker struggling with the mud.

Summit of Lackowa.

There was a steep descent down Lukowa which was followed in a few kilometres time by a similarly long and steep ascent of another mountain. This happened a few times today. The trail was following the border and I assume when it was defined in 1920 they decided it should follow the ridgeline. Unfortunately the ridgeline has several steep gradients which the border, and so the E3, slavishly follows. I wondered how they defined the exact location, did each country appoint a surveyor to ensure the other party did not cheat? Did they agree to use the same instrument to make the measurements?

An uphill climb much steeper than it looks here.

The steep gradients and monotonous nature of the woodland made me decide that tomorrow I will make a shortcut. By crossing to Zdynia on road 977 I will avoid walking further east only to return heading west a few kilometres to the north. Skipping part of the E3 route is not a decision I like to take, but I am walking for enjoyment rather than to survey the entire trail. By crossing by Zdynia I will also have completed at least a part of the loop. Jawor was the final mountain I climbed over before deciding on a spot to camp on ground, only gently sloping, on a old path among the trees.