A walk along the Bradava mill stream, starting in historic Spálené Poříčí: 6 km (extendable)

• Spálené Poříčí is a small town situated around 30 km southeast of Plzeň, on the edge of the Brdy range of hills. Originally named just Poříčí, the town was established in the Middle Ages. Poříčí became famous in 1620 when the Imperial Commander, Count Karel Bonaventura Buquoy, set fire to the town on his journey to Prague (where he fought and won the decisive Battle of White Mountain, which effectively ended the Protestant Bohemian Estates rebellion, in the early stages of the 30 Years War).
• Since that time, the town has been known as Spálené (‘burnt’) Poříčí. The Renaissance chateau survived the destruction wrought by the Imperial army and is today owned by the Metropolitan Chapter of St. Vitus in Prague. The chateau is open for tours and there is a small park behind the chateau.
• The town has created a couple of marked nature trails exploring the history and natural environment of the town (which was voted Historical Town of the Year in 2003, for its preservation work of its historic buildings). The nicest of these trails follows the Bradava stream for 4 km to reach the next village, Hořehledy. The trail passes a number of old mills and the Hvížďalka fishpond. There are a number of information boards along the route (only in Czech).
• The map below assumes a finish of the walk in Hořehledy (there are regular buses back to Plzeň or Spálené Poříčí) but some may prefer to walk back along the outbound route. There is also an option to continue the walk from Hořehledy into the Brdy protected landcape area. Continuing for 8 km leads to the Brdy village of Míšov, which is on the same bus route as Hořehledy and Spálené Poříčí.
• The trail beside the Bradava stream is not difficult, but it is a narrow footpath and there is one short steep section, which can be slippery in wet weather. The extension to Míšov is on a good forest track. For refreshments, there are various options in Spálené Poříčí, but the Pod Kokšínem restaurant in Hořehledy (map point 5) is worth a try. If continuing on to Míšov, there is the well known grill restaurant, which is a popular spot with Brdy visitors!

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

• Starting at Spálené Poříčí main square (after investigating the chateau and small park) join the GREEN trail heading towards Míšov
• After 4 km, reach the village of Hořehledy. The Pod Kokšínem restaurant is 200m up the road on the right side
• The nature trail continues a further 800m to reach the Hamr pond. Return back to Hořehledy to catch the bus (or return on foot along the outbound route)
• If continuing on to Míšov, stay on the GREEN trail, which leads directly to the village centre in 8 km