*A visit to the Dobrošov fortifications, starting in the Peklo nature reserve: 11 km (extendable)*

• The Dobrošov artillery fortress is located in the foothills of the Orlické hory above the town of Náchod. The popular visitor center and surrounding fortifications tell an important story about the country’s ultimately futile attempts to prepare for a Nazi invasion in the 1930’s. For fortress complex is a good target destination for a walk in these scenic hills and there are various alternative routes available.
• The shortest and easiest route starts from the parking and bus stop close to the fortress, near the hilltop. The approach from the Náchod side of the hill traverses the whole fortification complex, and is the best choice for those wanting to explore the full range of bunkers and fortifications in these hills. For those wanting a more varied walk, on paths that traverse both the upper meadows and also follow shady valleys lined with mountain streams, then choose the route shown in the map below.
• The route starts at the picturesque hamlet of Peklo, just to the north of Nové Město nad Metují. Situated in a narrow valley at the confluence of the Metuje and the Olešenka rivers, Peklo has been a tourist destination since the end of the 19th century. The popular restaurant Bartoňova útulna Peklo in the beautiful old mill (open only seasonally – so check the opening times on the website) is definitely worth a visit.
• The suggested route heads quite steeply uphill from Peklo to reach Jiráskova chata (at map point 2), with its viewing tower and popular restaurant. Continuing along the hilltop, the route then reaches the Dobrošov fortress and visitor center. The trip can be extended if desired by visiting a variety of bunkers and infantry blockhouses while in the area of the Dobrošov fortress. There are two interconnected education trails, with multilingual info boards.
• The more gentle descent route follows the course of a mountain stream and then the track beside the pretty Olešenka river to return back to Peklo. The basic 11 km circular route involves 300m of height to ascend-descend, all on good footpaths or mountain roads.

Note: click ‘Show on map’ above to go to a full screen version directly on the mapy.cz site. This can be used for online navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file

Directions

• Starting at the Peklo parking area (also reached by bus from Nové Město nad Metují), join the RED trail heading towards Dobrošov
• Jiráskova chata is reached after 2.8 km. From the restaurant, follow the YELLOW trail to reach the fortress (pevnost)
• After exploring the fortification area, follow the BLUE trail downhill to reach the Pod Dubovicí junction after 3.9 km
• At the Pod Dubovicí junction, turn right onto the GREEN trail which leads directly back to Peklo after 2.4 km