Iron Curtain Trail.

[wayfarer]

First let me say that this is not Pilgrimage related so I cannot add it to that section or to the EPW section.
After watching a program some time ago about the diverse flora and fauna that was found in the "no mans land" section of the border that existed between East and West Germany. This was put down to the fact that the area was untouched for decades by any type of modern farming practices that have decimated both flora and fauna in many parts of the world. This 1,400Km "Trail" can now be walked with guides, I'm not sure if you are allowed to walk without them.
Have a read of the article below and I hope you find it interesting, and please try not to introduce politics into the discussion.
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/jul/04/germany-green-line-iron-curtain

 

[SYates]

.... This 1,400Km "Trail" can now be walked with guides, I'm not sure if you are allowed to walked without them. ...

You absolutely are allowed to walk this trail on your own ;-) Give me a sec and I dug up more info, SY

OK, a quick look around the German internet showed that there isn't any guide book in English available and very little in German. At the end of the article you posted is a link to an English website but it has very little practical advice. I actually had a look at this route myself some time ago after reading this fascinating book https://www.amazon.de/dp/3492404715/ (sorry, only in German). It is pretty much a DIY walk, there are maps available but the rest (food/accommodation etc.) you have pretty much to wing ;-)

Buen Camino, SY

 

[wayfarer]

Thank you SY.

 

[SYates]

Anytime! If you want me to hunt down more information - just ask. Oh, and thanks for bringing another interesting route back to my mind ;-) SY

 

[wayfarer]

If this could be highlighted by the German Tourist Board it could be like the EPW with accommodation, maps etc made available for the trail, it would be great for walking tourism.

 

[SYates]

I agree, but I am also in two minds about that. Tourism would certainly bring, in same cases much needed, income to the region, but it would also mean that wildlife would be disturbed, no matter how carefully you "organize" the walkers. Personally I think we should keep one "wilderness trail" untouched from mass tourism as much as possible. Wiki has an interesting article here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Green_Belt about how the region is already getting developed btw. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Kitsambler]

If you want me to hunt down more information...

When I first looked at this, a few years ago, it appeared to me to be well-shaped for cycling and a bit of a challenge on foot -- because of the distance of towns/services from the route proper. Is that still the case, can you tell? Or has there been more infrastructure development since then?

 

[SYates]

@Kitsambler, there is also a green ways cycle route http://www.pragueviennagreenways.org/cycle.html are you thinking of that one? BC SY

 

[alipilgrim]

Two years ago I planned to walk the EPW but after a severe ankle sprain I decided to go, but bike it. So I started with my group in Vienna, and ended up going for 10 days with them, can't remember where I stopped, but well into Hungary. The bike I rented was only a hybrid, so I couldn't follow much of the walking route, so I found roads either by guessing or using maps.me, to the final destination. As it turned out, most of the roads I chose were the Iron Curtain route! I'd never been on a bike tour before but I absolutely loved it. All the signs I saw pretty much kept to the asphalt road. So if biking in Austria/Hungary are in your plans at all, I highly recommend it!

 

[Kiwi-family]

Here is a pretty informative site (at least it was a few years ago when I first looked at it)

http://www.ironcurtaintrail.eu/en/publikationen/broschuere/index.html

There are maps on the site and links to the three guidebooks. It is primarily geared towards cyclists -stages are around the 60-80km mark. However, by plotting the route on googlemaps, I discovered it would be entirely possible to reduce most stages to 25-30km which is walkable. The main difficulty is in Finland - you would need to take a tent and carry food for a few days.

The biggest barrier to non-EU citizens walking it as a through hike is the Schengen issue - there just aren't enough days.
Because the Schengen rules are a bit flexible for some countries (i.e. You get 90 days in that country even if you've come from another Schengen country) it would be possible to do the inflexible part of the route and then backtrack to complete earlier potions - this works for Kiwis; I'm not sure about other nationalities.

I have had correspondence with a guy who biked the "popular" (i.e. German/middle) section and he assured me that walking that portion would not be difficult at all in terms of accommodation and provisions.

If I had the choice, this would be my next camino!

 

[SYates]

That is a really good find @Kiwi-family ! Thank you! However have you any link to back-up your claim here?:

... Because the Schengen rules are a bit flexible for some countries (i.e. You get 90 days in that country even if you've come from another Schengen country) ...

As far as I know, and I am an EU resident, the rules are the same for the whole Schengen area: 90 days max in a 180 days period. Buen Camino, SY

 

[Kiwi-family]

SYates
I had looked at government websites regarding NZ's bilateral agreements, but when I googled just now I came across this recent blog post that includes links to everything PLUS answers about this question from the countries themselves.

http://www.brenontheroad.com/new-zealand-bilateral-visa-waivers-schengen/

 

[frida1]

I have to respond to this, because 2 of us rode the Finland portion of the Iron Curtain trail last June. We started in Kirkenes, Norway and rode about 1,000 miles south on our foldable tandem. We were able to do this portion without camping at all. It is remote, but lodging is available every 50-70 miles. We found it to be wonderful for cycling, with very low traffic and moderate profile. We're in our 60's now, and I just don't want to do loaded cycle-touring with camping and steep mountain roads anymore.

 

[SYates]

SYates
I had looked at government websites regarding NZ's bilateral agreements, but when I googled just now I came across this recent blog post that includes links to everything PLUS answers about this question from the countries themselves.

http://www.brenontheroad.com/new-zealand-bilateral-visa-waivers-schengen/

Fascinating! Thank you! SY