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*A 6 km tour within the superb maze-like Besedické skály rock city*

  • This relatively short circular walk packs in a lot of variety, and starts high above the Jizera valley in the village of Besedice
  • It takes in the volcanic hill of Sokol, with its super view of the Suché skály ridge, and then traverses through the rock mazes of Besedické skály with their amazing tunnels, arches and crevasses
  • There is a recommended extension to see the romantic ruins of the medieval rock castle of Zbiroh
  • The walk is only 6km in length, but has 300m of height gained and lost, mostly on the extensive sections of steps in the Besedické skály, and the route finding switches colour frequently. It is a trip to be savoured slowly
  • Refreshments should be available close to the parking spot in Besedice

“I only started visiting the Besedice rocks recently. Somehow, they rarely appear in guides as one of the top destinations in Český ráj. However, the trails through these rocks are now probably my favourite in the whole region. They twist and turn revealing new shapes and rock formations at every corner. The colours in the rock mazes are the best in Český ráj”.

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’  to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.

  • Start and finish at the (paid) car park of Besedice (reached on the winding road up from Turnov)
  • Initially take the RED trail heading towards Sokol hill (this is the path to the left as you face the main road with the car park behind you)
  • After 300m reach the signpost of U Kalicha. Take the YELLOW trail (direction Sokol)
  • After 1km reach the viewpoint of Sokol for the excellent views of the Suché skály
  • Continue on the YELLOW trail until the Pánovo pole signpost. Continue again on the YELLOW trail (direction Kalich- Na Rovně), entering the Besedické skály rock formations after 100m.
  • Continue through the rock gullies for 600m stopping at the various viewpoints
  • At the signpost of Kalich-Na Rovně again continue on the YELLOW trail (direction Kalich-Modlitebna)
  • On reaching the Modlitebna signpost after 300m turn right onto the BLUE trail (direction U Tůňky)
  • At the U Tůňky sign, reached again after 300m, take the GREEN trail for 900m to reach the ruined castle of Zbiroh
  • After exploring the ruins, return back along the GREEN trail to U Tůňky, and from there back along the BLUE trail to the Kalich-Modlitebna signpost
  • At Kalich-Modlitebna continue along the BLUE trail (direction U Kalicha) which is reached after 700m (note; route finding on this section is a little difficult – care is needed to spot the BLUE trail marks)
  • At U Kalicha, return to the car park along the RED trail. Refreshments should be available at the kiosk, or at the nearby Hospoda na Terase
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