*On the Cyril & Methodius trail: from Nové Město na Moravě to Bystřice nad Pernštejnem: 26 km*

• Note: this is Stage 13 of the Cyril & Methodius (C&M) long distance route, from Levý Hradec to Velehrad, but as a standalone one day walk it is a super trip in its own right. See here for an introduction to the multiday C&M walk (there are 20 stages in total).
• The stage starts in Nové Město na Moravě, at the southern edge of the Žďárské vrchy Protected Landscape Area. Nové Město is probably best known today as a winter sports resort and a summer mountain biking centre. The town centre has an attractive square, dominated by the Gothic church of St. Kunhuta whose outside walls are decorated with sgraffito pictures created in the early 20th century.
• From Nové Město, the route heads into the easternmost hills of the Žďárské vrchy, passing the attractive pond, Zuberský rybník (a popular swimming spot). There are many super views along the route which has a varied mix of forest and meadow footpaths, with occasional sections of country road.
• One highlight of the route is a visit to the fortress-like Church of St Michael the Archangel, built in the 13th century. There may have been an older church here as the site is associated with St Methodius and it appears was also a prehistoric burial ground.
• The stage finishes in Bystřice nad Pernštejnem, whose main square is adorned with a life size statue of Saints Cyril and Methodius. Just before reaching the train station at Bystřice, there is the popular outdoor family leisure center, Eden Centrum.
• This is quite a long walk, but it is on easy terrain, with around 400m of height to ascend-descend, none of which is challenging. There are various good refreshment options at the beginning and end – in Nové Město, try the Hejlík recommended Bistro ČTYŘKA (map point 4) with its extensive terrace area or one of the excellent cafés that line the main street. In Bystřice, for good coffee and cakes, try Kavárna Franqueza (map point 10). On the opposite side of the square from the Kavarna there is a popular ice cream stall.

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

• From the Nové Město na Moravě train station head first to view the main square and then join the GREEN hiking trail heading towards village of Zubří, reached after 4.5 km
• In Zubří, join the BLUE trail and continue for 1.5 km as far as the Nad Zuberským rybníkem junction and there turn right onto the GREEN trail which leads directly to the center of Bystřice
• It is a 2 km walk from the center of town to the Bystřice train station, along the RED trail