*A classic circular tour of five České středohoří volcanic peaks: 20 km to 27 km*

• The southwest section of the unique České středohoří volcanic landscape is the most accessible and, in many ways, the most exciting for walkers in this beautiful protected nature area. A number of routes can be created of different lengths, starting in one of the pretty villages just to the west of the D8 which runs northwards from Prague. Most of the trails skirt the flanks of the peaks, offering optional ascents up the final steep summit areas. The channels of lava which burst through layers of sandstone rock some 20-30 million years ago created a volcanic landscape of conical mountains that is unique in Central Europe.
• Many of the peaks are romantically topped with crumbling ruins. Most of these ruins are of late medieval (14th/15th century) castles, but some had their origin in Slavic times and possibly even earlier in prehistory. The long-distance walking trail Zlatá stezka Zemí hradů (“land of castles golden trail”) crosses this terrain, visiting most of the important historic monuments in the České středohoří region. It is incorporated in a number of routes in this guide.
• One of the best circular routes follows a section of the Zlatá stezka around the five peaks of Liská hora (689m), Boreč (449m), Ostrý (553m), Oltářík (566m) and Košťálov (481m). The last three peaks all have ruined castles on their summits. All offer spectacular views from the top. Boreč has a unique volcanic phenomenon called ventarols, which can be experienced on both hot summer or snowy winter days!
• The circular route can be started at any point, but a good option is the village of Vlastislav in which the unusual ‘dual’ castle of Skalka is located – a well preserved circular medieval tower is adjacent to a 17th century Baroque chateau. The castle is normally open for visits at weekends from May to October. Vlastislav is on a bus route from nearby Lovosice. There are a few parking spots below the castle.
• If all the peaks mentioned above are climbed, the total route is just over 27 km, and incorporates a hefty 1050m of height to ascend/descend. Most people will probably prefer to skip some of the ascents – the route is 20km long, with 640m of climbing if none of the peaks are ascended. A nice compromise is to ascend the peak with the least extra climbing – Ostrý – which has brilliant views, some interesting basalt rock formations and the remnants of a 15th century fortress.
• Most of the route is on easy footpaths or quiet country roads, but the final summit ascents are quite steep and can be challenging in winter. For refreshments try the excellent restaurant Kocourov, situated on the route almost exactly halfway round, if starting in Vlastislav (note – the restaurant can get very busy on warm summer weekends).

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 in the village of Vlastislav, join the RED trail, heading in the direction of Košťálov
• After 1.9km reach the Nad Sutomí junction. Here, if planning on visiting Košťálov peak (and castle ruin) follow the RED trail for a further 1.3 km to ascend the peak and then return back to Nad Sutomí on the same trail
• From Nad Sutomí, join the YELLOW trail heading in the direction of Boreč village, which is reached in 1.9 km
• In Boreč, if planning on visiting the summit of the hill, join the GREEN trail heading towards Boreč (vrchol) and follow the green markings to the top, which is reached after 1.3 km. Continue from the summit on the GREEN nature trail to reach the junction of Režný Újezd in 1.2 km
• If not planning on climbing to the summit of Boreč hill, continue on the YELLOW trail to reach the Režný Újezd junction in 1.1 km
• From Režný Újezd continue a further 300m on the YELLOW trail to reach the Struženka junction. Here, turn left onto the BLUE trail heading in the direction of Březno
• Stay on the BLUE trail for 3.5 km through Březno village and head up the slopes of Ostrý to reach the Ostrý – zříc junction, just below the summit. The summit area is just a 300m diversion from the junction and is highly recommended
• After visiting Ostrý summit return back to the Ostrý – zříc junction and continue on the BLUE trail for 800m to reach the Kocourov junction. Here, join the RED trail heading in the direction of Medvědice
• After 600m the resturant Kocourov (recommended) is on the right side
• From the restaurant continue on the RED trail for 3.4 km up the slopes of Lipská hora to reach the Lipská hora – vyhl junction. The summit is a 350m diversion to the left (and includes 100m of extra climbing) but the view is great
• From the Lipská hora – vyhl junction continue 3.2 km on the RED trail to reach the junction of Děkovka. Here, there is an option to divert along the BLUE trail for 900m to reach the summit of Oltářík, with its medieval castle ruins
• Return back to the Děkovka junction after visiting the ruins and continue on the RED trail for a further 3.2 km to return back to Vlastislav village