Cycling Europe’s Iron Curtain, Würst & Rail Trails 🌭 Bike Touring & Wild Camping Germany

Day 273. 68km (93,493kms 8yrs)

Though the forest had been very damp it didn’t rain, and I slept relatively well. Perhaps the new fleecy leggings made all the difference, because it was still a soaking wet tent I packed away come sunrise. 4 deer bounded over the trail as I emerged from the forest, the sun low and hazy behind me.

For much of the morning I wondered how on earth I could make an 8 minute vlog in such foggy conditions. I could barely see anything, and most of what I did film was unusable where I’d neglected to wipe the dew from the lens. But in the late morning I began to climb and 2km from the top I emerged above the fog again. At the top a sign indicated this had been the point where the Iron Curtain had divided Europe until 6th January 1990.

I assumed I would descend into similarly gloomy conditions, but actually on this side of the tiny pass the weather was much improved. In the town of Hilders I found something I’d been waiting for since arriving in Germany; what Aussies would call a sausage sizzle. In the small square a man stood barbecuing at a truck, delicious meaty aromas had me parting with my euros without a second thought. It was an excellent sausage.

From here the Milseburgradweg rail-trail climbed gently up again, almost to the top on the next range, but I found the tunnel through the hill closed. (I learned later from host Tobias it’s closed every winter to protect a bat colony) But after a bit more climbing on the roads I returned to the rail-trail which swept downwards the final the final 15 or so kilometres into Fulda.

Tobias was late – his train had been cancelled – but his roommate let me in. I was able to hang my tent up to dry, and to relax and warm up until we met properly the following morning.

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