Cesky Raj
Posted by: 
Torgut
N 50° 31.005 E 015° 13.871
33U E 516389 N 5596113
Cesky Raj means, in Czech, the Czech Paradise, and this says it all.
Waymark Code: WMAAW4
Location: Liberecký kraj, Czechia
Date Posted: 12/15/2010
Views: 174
Czech Repuplic is a a nation of hiking. There are about 40.000 Km of marked and properly maintained hiking trails, in a huge and complex network which counts with the help of, again, 40.000 volunteers. It's hard to say where this hike starts and ends as there are dozens of variants. I do like to follow as described bellow.
We will start the tour in Któva, a small village 80 km far from Prague, which we will reach in about two hours. Train will drop us in a minor stop from where we will initiate our walk. The majestic silhouette of Trosky castle (this is the marked place for this waymark) will catch our attention immediately. Which is actually our first objective. The castle may be visited, if that's the will of the group. Please be aware that starting the tour from the opposite end will not leave time for such a visit and either way, the ticket to the place is not included.
This first stage of our day is physically demanding. It's a steep walk. We soon understand that taking Trosky by brute force wouldn't be an easy task, not even to the most corageous and fit warriors. The two impossive towers are truly impressive, apparently built by magic craft on the top of a vertical cliff.
After a brief stop we carry on with our walk. The terrain is easier now. It's asphalt for a while, downhill. We enter a dirt road and we will be surrounded by old farm houses, sopme of them more than two hundred years old. We should observe the details here. Some old farming tools are outside, forming something like a spontaneous private museum.
All this segment is surrounded by fruit trees, and we will be able to try their apples and pears, if we come in the right season. They are probably the best fruits ever tried, juicy, sweet... eventually not so gook looking but definitely natural, and for free. No normalization nor farming chemicals.
A little farther, one of best moments of this trip: we will make a short detour from the main trail and after a few hundred meters we will climb to the top of a hill. From there we can enjoy the beauty of a small lake, quiet, full of wildlife. In that place we may pause for a while, having a snack, drinking a refreshment, having a seat on one of the many rocky platforms carved by the nature for our pleasure.
After the relaxing pause, we will be back to the trail, with further two kilometers in a very soft climb, surrounded by deep woods and discrete rock formations. We will reach Hruba Skála, a palace made a hotel, which we will pass without visiting. Perhaps we will have the time to take a look at Adamovo, a exquisite rock formation with narrow passages carved between the huge rocks. Either way we will now be enetering the most popular part of Cesky Raj. That where the most amazing views can be enjoyed. No words can describe the scenario from there.
Before we reach the final stage of the hiking, leading down to Turnov, we will pass near the castle of Valdstejn, which can be visited if the group decides so. There is an entrance fee of about 50 Czk. And then we are walking down, towards Turnov and the end of our journey.
Geocaching can be combined with this hiking. About 15 caches can be found along the 22 km of the journey.
Picture location 1: N 50° 30.980 W 015° 13.811
Picture Location 2: N 50° 31.308 W 015° 12.634
Picture Location 3: N 50° 33.080 W 015° 10.783
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Visit Instructions:
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