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I woke to heavy rain at six or so, and dozed on until 07:20 when the rain abated. I got up and headed to the facilities for a wash. Now it’s 08:24 and the forecast tells me the rain will hold off until later in the day. I was thinking I’d stay a day if the rain was relentless, but if I can pack up while it’s not raining then I’ll move on. I’m about to make breakfast, then I’ll break camp. I feel good, delighted to be washed and clean. The facilities here are gorgeous.
09:55: Underway.
10:00: On the main road. It’s like a typical Irish day. Overcast, cool, soft light.
10:27: Petting.
10:40: Stopped at the bakery to get some bread rolls, cheese, salami and ham combos. €2 + €1.60 + €1.60.
Leaving Petting.
11:36: Neuhaus. It’s mostly cloudy and very muggy.
12:38: At an impasse in the forest. For the first time, my maps and MAPS.ME have let me down. I can route myself back to the road.1
12:48:40
12:55: Back on the road.
12:58: Paradies.
13:09: Mooswastl.
13:16: Earplugs in. Stopped at the side of the road for lunch.
13:22: That was tasty! I’m not going to linger because even with the earplugs in, the traffic going by at 100km/h is horrible.
13:26: Schign.
13:45: Langwied.
13:52: Berg. After a short incline.
14:04: Sign say “Freilassing 7km”. Neukling.
14:07:57: A forgotten memorial by the side of the road for soldiers killed on the Eastern Front during the Second World War. 
14:08:07: I can’t imagine anyone visits these memorials; the traffic along this road is hideous and there’s nowhere to stand or park safely. 
14:09:33: Just kids, really, dying pointlessly in the name of fascism on the endless plains of Russia.
14:13: Neusillersdorf.
14:33:45 
14:34:06
14:38: Sillersdorf. I’ve turned off the main road.
14:54: Exiting Sillersdorf. “Freilassing 4km”. I’m walking on towards a giant thundercloud hanging over Salzburg.
15:13: Back on the main road. Maulfurth.
15:23: Freilassing town limit. I’m feeling a bit cheesed off.
15:54: I’m sitting in an Eis-café, having just scoffed a yoghurt, café and chocolate ice cream in a giant wafer cone. It looks like the rain has started. I guess I have another three hours to go to get to the youth hostel in Salzburg.
I’m also having a black tea. I didn’t give my legs enough time to rest at lunchtime.
16:38: Moving again. There are sporadic heavy showers. I’m resigned to getting soaked.
16:52: Salzburg 7km. I feel enormously refreshed.
16:56: Leaving Freilassing.
17:08: Crossing the Saalach river into Austria.
17:10: Salzburg town limit and Austria. Glad to be here.
17:22: Ugly road with tacky buildings. Long Mile Road style. Looks like I’ve missed the rain, though. The sky ahead looks not clear, but not threatening. A small band of low stratus and beyond that, cumulus and high stratus.
18:02: More rain. I’m getting closer to the centre of town. It’s much grungier than any German city I’ve been in — I guess 30% poorer.
19:27: So the youth hostel is full. I’m heading 3.5km north to the campsite. It rained from 18:00 until I got to the youth hostel. Seems to have stopped now, thankfully, but it’s due to rain overnight and tomorrow day.
20:31: At the campsite. Picking a pitch. They all look gravelly. I’m miles from the facilities.
20:57: Tent set up. I’ve cracked open the emergency food supply. It’s gorgeously salty. This campsite is packed with tall trees so when everything gets soaked there’ll be no sun to dry it out. Not ideal.
I found myself standing in a boggy, overgrown area in the forest where my maps indicated a path. I could see that there’d once been a path here, but it wasn’t viable for me to thrash may way through. Far simpler to back-track and find another route.↩
