Setting off from Pruhonice on day two of our walk, we soon ran into the uncomfortable situation of walking along shoulder-less roads with heavy traffic barreling towards us. Fortunately, we came across our first trail, part of the extensive 40,000 kilometre trail network established in 1889 by the Club of Czech Tourists. This effort was confounded during the Cold War days when a well-developed network of trails was regarded suspiciously and maps showing the trails were deliberately altered to make them impossible to use by foreign powers, not to mention the walk-happy Czechs. Since the fall of the Communist government in 1989, the club has created a detailed set of 1:50,000 scale maps. I chose to use an alternate set of maps, the Shocart 1:40,000 scale Tourist Maps series. I found these easier to read than the Club's own maps.

 

It was a 'yellow' trail. Marked with a clear horizontal band with two white bands above and below, the markers were easy to follow. Our maps became our primary navigational aid with the iPhone as backup to confirm our exact location. Getting off the roads and onto these pedestrian-only (okay, maybe the occasional horse as well) was a revelation. Not only safe but scenic. On our way into Kamenice, our destination for the night, we transitioned onto a 'red' trail, lovely paths that led us through forests, around lakes and to the doorstop of our hotel.