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Oh goodness - that is really rough country and English ability is limited to large towns (I'm extrapolating from my experience in the western Czech Republic). Also there are police and border issues with the large number of refugees. Can the route organization put you contact with someone who has walked it? And do they have accommodation lists or know where you could get one?I am thinking of walking the Via Egnatia from Durres (Albania) to Thessaloniki (Greece).
Oh goodness - that is really rough country and English ability is limited to large towns (I'm extrapolating from my experience in the western Czech Republic). Also there are police and border issues with the large number of refugees. Can the route organization put you contact with someone who has walked it? And do they have accommodation lists or know where you could get one?
As far as I can recall, the only one of us who has extensively discussed travel in that corner of Europe was Lovingkindness. You could search her posts for useful info, and perhaps contact her directly via PM.I am interested in the Via Egnatia (VE) as an add-on to the Via Francigena nel Sud (Rome - Bari) to get me closer to my ultimate goal of Jerusalem via the Israel National Trail (INT), or maybe just the Jerusalem Trail from Tel Aviv.
Yes, refugees are trying to get through at Gevgelija, that's true.Thanks, everyone.
The VE website is very helpful and responsive. Here is what their contact (Toon Pennings <toonpennings@gmail.com>) said in response to my question, in case anyone is thinking of walking the VE:
"As far as I know, most refugees in Greece trying to reach Western Europe use the border crossing at Evzoni or Idomeni/Gevgelija and not the one at Niki/Bitola, where Via Egnatia goes from Macedonia to Greece. At least, I haven't read any reports about that"
Re the 256 guide. Far too heavy! What I will do is get the spine guillotined off, remove un-wanted pages and have the rest spiral-bound. It costs only $4 locally.
That's what I did for the Via Francigena guidebooks and it worked well - much easier to use the books in the field if you can fold them flat.
Bob M
HI Bob....are you still planning to walk the Via Egnatia? When do you plan to go? There's a blog by Anita (search Anita blog via Egnatia & it should work) that's very thorough on route & accomodation from Durres to Thessaloniki. I bought the guide Via Egnatia on Foot from the VE Foundation last fall & plan to walk it this fall 2016 with a friend. We had been corresponding with Toon from the foundation with the expectation of more information about the route past Thessaloniki coming this spring. However, the VE Foundation website has recently disappeared.....I can't find any link to it that works. Not sure what the issue is. I have emailed Toon but no info yet. Have you had recent communication with them?I am thinking of walking the Via Egnatia from Durres (Albania) to Thessaloniki (Greece).
Here is an excellent website about the route that includes a guidebook.
http://www.viaegnatiafoundation.eu/index.php/hiking-wandern/via-egnatia-hiking-trail
I would like to hear from anyone who has done this walk, especially re accommodation.
It's a bit early, but best wishes to everyone for Christmas and the New Year.
Bob
HI Bob....are you still planning to walk the Via Egnatia? When do you plan to go? There's a blog by Anita (search Anita blog via Egnatia & it should work) that's very thorough on route & accomodation from Durres to Thessaloniki. I bought the guide Via Egnatia on Foot from the VE Foundation last fall & plan to walk it this fall 2016 with a friend. We had been corresponding with Toon from the foundation with the expectation of more information about the route past Thessaloniki coming this spring. However, the VE Foundation website has recently disappeared.....I can't find any link to it that works. Not sure what the issue is. I have emailed Toon but no info yet. Have you had recent communication with them?
Thanks in advance, Pat
Oh......so glad you told me that you have had the same error message from the VEF website. I haven't looked at it for months so was taken aback when it seemed to be gone. Toon had told us the same thing about additional GPS info past Thessaloniki & I look forward to adding it to our route planning. You will be 6-8 weeks ahead of us, I think.I am hard at work on it. See another thread that I have started: "Start VF del Sud (Rome-Bari) 10 May, then Via Egnatia (Durres-Thessaloniki)" I start in Rome on May 10 and hope to arrive in Durres on June 3.
I have read Anita's blog. It's great for pics of the route and accommodation problems in parts of the route. I won't be taking a tent, so I will have to work harder to get the locals to take me in.
I also listened to the three 30-minute BBC Radio episodes by Bettany Hughes' (there is a link in my other thread). I gives more atmospherics on the route that help to reduce the 'known unknowns' a little.
I just had my VE guide spiral bound so I can fold it flat when open and make it more convenient to use in the field. That cost $A4 t a big office supplies shop, so it was very inexpensive. The holes for the spiral binding cut into some of the maps, but it is not a problem.
Toon told me that they have good data (incl GPX files) for 150+km from Thessaloniki. He will share the data if you help with route reconnaissance. That's fair. The last time I was in touch was a few weeks ago.
I just checked (Sat 17:20 Melbourne time) the VE website and get the msg: "Error displaying the error page: Application Instantiation Error: Error initialising the session." Hoppefully it is a temporary glitch.
Anyway, have a look at the other thread. I am not particularly worried about the VE, but the Italian walk from Rome to Bari that I will do first is a bit problematic in terms of the lack of good guidebooks. That surprises me, given that the VF del Sud basically follows the Roman Via Apia, the Via Triana and later traditional pilgrimage routes. I think it would have been easier to walk this route in Roman times than today, so far as daily stage accommodation is concerned.
Keep in touch re your own plans.
Best regards
Bob M
Oh......so glad you told me that you have had the same error message from the VEF website. I haven't looked at it for months so was taken aback when it seemed to be gone. Toon had told us the same thing about additional GPS info past Thessaloniki & I look forward to adding it to our route planning. You will be 6-8 weeks ahead of us, I think.
When I walked the VF from Besancon to Rome I mostly went day to day with the accom. & frequently relied on the current convent/hostel/whatever to help call set up the next bed for the night. Not fool proof. Hope you find something to guide you on the VF del Sud. We won't be carrying a tent on the VE either but have emergency bivis in case we are stuck out in the bush for a night. Hope not to use them.
Really.....let's stay in touch. I 'know' a fellow (ardent Camino walker) from the US who travels regularly to work on a vineyard in the Bari area.....will try to get a ph# for you if you want.
I've been using Pocket Earth maps on my iPad with a route from the data sent by VEF when I bought the book.......had something similar on the VF & it was fine. My friend has a Garmin & hopes to know how to use by the time we leave. I will look at the Locus maps, thanks for that tip. The main question for me is hopefully to have a route sorted out that is not on the road once we start walking without direction from Toon et al. My Pocket Earth map has lots of track to follow but it doesn't seem to hook up well with villages or towns in that area. I haven't thought too much about a phone....should I guess. I imagine Internet will be dodgy except in the big towns.
Regards, Pat
Yes, I was happy to see that. I have been in contact with Toon & have the waypoints & route description for Thessaloniki to Kavala. Glad to get that 'on the map'. We also keep to a very light pack....just shy of 14lbs on my last trip so I expect to do the same this time. No tents for us either so planning is the key to comfort.
I too would lie walk the Via Egnatia, but the section further on from Bob, namely from Thessaloniki to Kavala. i did see some correspondence on this Forum about this section of the walk, but can't now find it. I remember there was someone with the name Troon who was investigating it and offering information in return for information. I'd be grateful for anything. PhilipI am thinking of walking the Via Egnatia from Durres (Albania) to Thessaloniki (Greece).
Here is an excellent website about the route that includes a guidebook.
http://www.viaegnatiafoundation.eu/index.php/hiking-wandern/via-egnatia-hiking-trail
I would like to hear from anyone who has done this walk, especially re accommodation.
It's a bit early, but best wishes to everyone for Christmas and the New Year.
Bob
I too would lie walk the Via Egnatia, but the section further on from Bob, namely from Thessaloniki to Kavala. i did see some correspondence on this Forum about this section of the walk, but can't now find it. I remember there was someone with the name Troon who was investigating it and offering information in return for information. I'd be grateful for anything. Philip
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