A short walk to the viewpoint on Blšanský chlum, near Louny: 3 km

• Blšanský chlum is the closest volcanic peak to the historic town of Louny, situated just off the D7 highway. It is quite a steep scramble to the summit, rewarded with a super view of the volcanic landscape of the České středohoří hills to the north. Blšanský chlum is a protected nature zone due to rare plants and butterflies, and is also the site of an old basalt quarry.
• The closest access point to the hill is the village of Chlumčany, just a few kilometers to the southeast of Louny (and connected by bus to that town). At the edge of the village is the former sugar factory, dating from the 19th century and is a protected building due to its important industrial heritage. A side road leads up to the hill from the factory building.
• The route to the summit is 1.6 km from the factory gate. The top section is quite steep – but the view can still be enjoyed with scaling the (quite slippery) last 100m of path, as the approach path circles around the hill. The total climb is just 100m from the factory gate. There are no refreshment spots on the route, but it is certainly worth stopping in the pretty town of Louny. There is a nice café on the main square – the Cukrána Fragolose – serving excellent Italian ice cream.

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.

Directions

• Start at the former sugar factory in Chlumčany (there is a bus stop close by and if driving parking should be possible near the factory)
• From the factory, follow the YELLOW hiking trail up the hill towards the vineyards
• After 1.1 km reach the trail junction below the main summit.
• Here, turn right to take the path to the summit (Vrchol), which is reached in 500m (the last steep 100m section can be skipped if desired)
• Return back the same route to the factory entrance