E8: Dorsey Head (Irl) - Rhodopen(Bg), 4390 km

Irish Sea – Rhein – Main – Donau – Karpaten – Rhodopen

For 4390km this trail will lead you from the Atlantic coast of Ireland eastward, across the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Poland, where you will come to an abrupt halt on the Beskid Pass which is the Ukrainian border. Follows a gap in the trail: the portion through Ukraine and Romania and the first stretch in Bulgaria is non-existent. You can then continue again on the last 400km stretch through Bulgaria's Rhodope range to Mezek near the Turkish border.

As with all European long distance paths, the waymarking reveals the different national policies. This is Europe! And this is the best reason to love the continent!! Anyway, in Ireland, England and Holland the trail is made up of existing, well documented, and very good waymarked trails. Germany offers a mixed deal: the E8 partly uses some existing long distance trails, but mostly local paths. Austria again has a wide network of trails, also accommodating the E8. In Eastern Europe, local paths and roads are used, and generally the waymarking is very good, but often you have to knit the color schemes together yourself. Unfortunately, in Ukraine and Romania hiking facilities are largely extinct. In Bulgaria however, some good waymarking has been done.

Well, let's put things together now. This is the complete string of trails making up your complete E8-hike:

Ireland (620 km)

• Dursey Head, start
• Beara Way, Dursey Head - Kenmare, 100 km, 5 days
• Kerry Way, Kenmare - Killarny, 40 km, 2 days
• Local trail, Killarny - Shrone, few km
• Blackwater Way, Shrone - Clogheen, 168 km, 10 days
• East Munster Way, Clogheen - carrick-on-Suir, 75 km, 3 days
• South Leinster Way, Carrick-on-Suir - Kildavin, 104 km, 5 days
• Local trail, Kildavin - Clonegal, few km
• Wicklow Way, Clonegal - Dublin, 129 km, 6 days
• Ferry Dublin – Liverpool (United Kingdom)

United Kingdom (300 km)

• Trans Pennine Way
• Ferry Kingston upon Hull – Hoek van Holland (Netherlands)

Netherlands (276 km)

• First village in the Netherlands is Hoek van Holland
• Grote Rivierenpad (LAW 6)
  Note: this trail is a recent combination of Oeverloperpad (LAW 6-1) and Lingepad (LAW 6-2)
• Pieterpad, bits (LAW 9)

Germany (1.500 km)

• Rheinhöhenweg
• Goldsteig
• Altmühltal Panoramaweg
• Partly the HW3 in the Schwäbische Alb, or Main-Neckar-Rhein-Weg
• And many other, local trails, waymarked

Austria (500 km)

• Connecting trail from Germany
• Ostösterreichischer_Grenzlandweg, Weitwanderweg 07 (WWW 07)

Slovakia (740 km)

• Border Austria / Slovakia – Bratislava -  Baba Pass (527 m), hut (33 km)
• Baba Pass – Chata Brezinky, hut (30 km)
• Chata Brezinky - Dobrá Voda, village (23 km)
• Dobrá Voda – Myjava, town (22 km)
• Myjava - Holubyho chata (950 m), hut (18 km)
• Holubyho - Nové Mesto nad Váhom, town (29 km)
• Nové Mesto nad Váhom - chata pod Inovcom (840 m), hut (24 km)
• chata pod Inovcom – Trenčín, town (19 km)
• Trenčín - Trenčianske Teplice, spa (13 km)
• Trenčianske Teplice  - Vápeč (955 m), (27 km), path to Homôlka hut (5 km)
• Vápeč – Čičmany, village (23 km)
• Čičmany - Vyšehradské sedlo (579 m), pass (30 km), bus to Nitrianske Pravno (8 km)
• Vyšehradské sedlo - Kremnické Bane, village (33 km), bus to Kremnice (5 km)
• Kremnické Bane - Kráľova studňa (1280 m), hotel (30 km)
• Kráľova studňa – Donovaly, tourist centre (19 km)
• Donovaly - Zámostská hoľa (1612 m), hut (22 km), path to Magurka (5 km)
• Zámostská hoľa - Chata gen. M.R. štefánika (1727 m), hut (19 km)
• M.R. štefánika - Honzovské (1171 m) (17 km), path to Dobšinskej hotel (4 km)
• Honzovské – Skalisko (1293 m), hut (31 km)
• Skalisko - Štós-kúpele, spa (28 km)
• Štós-kúpele - Jahodná chata, hut (31 km)
• Jahodná – Košice, town (10 km)
• Košice  - Kysak, village (19 km)
• Kysak – Cemjata, village (22 km), path to Prešova (6 km)
• Cemjata - sedlo Čergov (917 m), hut (29 km)
• sedlo Čergov – Bardejov, town (22 km)
• Bardejov – Zborov, village (17 km)
• Zborov – Svidník. town (31 km)
• Svidník - Dukliansky priesmyk (502 m), pass, border Slovakia / Poland (26 km)
• Last village in Slovakia is Vyšný Komárnik - Dukliansky Priesmyk

VKÚ maps

127 Malé Karpaty-Bratislava
128 Malé Karpaty-Záruby
129 Malé Karpaty-Bradlo
130 Považský Inovec-Piešťany
107 Biele Karpaty-Trenčín
119 Strážovské vrchy-Trenčianske Teplice
131 Vtáčnik-Horná Nitra
120 Malá Fatra-Martinské hole
132 Kremnické vrchy

121 Veľká Fatra
122 Nízke Tatry-Chopok
123 Nízke Tatry-Kráľova hoľa
124 Slovenský raj
125 Volovské vrchy-Krompachy
136 Volovské vrchy-Košice
115 Šarišská vrchovina-Branisko
104 Čergov
105 Ondavská vrchovina-Bardejov
106 Laborecká vrchovina-Dukla

Poland (195 km)

• First village in Poland is Barwinek near Dukla, border Slovakia
• Barwinek – Dukla, connecting trail (yellow), 20 km, 1 day
• Beskids Trail / Główny Szlak Beskidzki, from Chyrowa to Wołosate, 171 km, 10 days
• Wołosate to border Ukraine, 3 km. Here, the trail and markings end
• Last village in Poland is Wołosate

Ukraine

• First village in Ukraina is Lubnya
• Trail is non-existent

Romania

• Non-existent

Bulgaria (400 km)

• First part non-existent
• Start of current trail in Borovec, small town 80 km from Sofia in Rila Mountains, waymarked
• Svilengrad near Greece / Turkey, finish

Turkey?

• Currently no trail
• Istanbul, future finish?