*Circular routes along the challenging Doubrava river canyon, near Chotěboř: 5 km to 14 km*

• The Doubova valley is a narrow and rocky canyon carved by the Doubrava river at the edge of the Železné hory (Iron mountains). Running along the left (western) bank of the river for nearly 5 km is a well-known footpath, which navigates around the rocky pillars with the use of occasional protective chains. It is a fun path, and not dangerous in normal conditions, but should not be attempted in icy or snowy conditions, or after heavy rainfall (when segments of the path might be submerged).
• There are a number of circular routes available, the shortest of which starts and finishes at Bílek, where there is a regional train station (connections with Pardubice) and a small parking area – map point 7. This short route traverses the first half of the riverside path, giving a 5 km round trip. The full circuit, starting and finishing in Bílek, is around 9 km long. However, for a longer and more varied trip, consider a start in the attractive town of Chotěboř, following the 14 km circuit shown in the map below.
• One advantage of a start and finish in Chotěboř is that there a couple of good restaurants to celebrate the end of the walk. Probably the best option is the Panský dům restaurant on the main square (map point 3). This is a very old hostellrie, which apparently once hosted Jan Žižka during the 15th century Hussite Wars. Most of the buildings of the main square have sadly lost their Gothic or Renaissance features, but it is still quite an attractive place.
• The 14 km route involves around 200m of height to ascend/descend, but it will feel like more than this with multiple short ascents and descents on the riverside path. There are a couple of optional but fun viewpoints (map points 9 and 11) on rockpillars – the paths are protected by railings and chains, but these can be skipped if desired. The views from the tops are mostly obscured by trees, unfortunately.

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 Chotěboř station (which has good connections with Pardubice as well as park and ride, parking) follow the BLUE trail for 1.5 km into the town centre
• At the square, turn right onto the RED trail, down a narrow alley
• Follow the RED trail for 2.9 km to reach the river at Horní mlýn
• From Horní mlýn remain on the RED trail for the length of the riverside path, eventually reaching Bílek after 4.3 km
• From Bílek, join the GREEN trail, which returns back along the river on a wide path on a terrace
• After 2.1 km the path drops down to cross the river (note the optional diversion to the viewpoint)
• After crossing the river, stay on the GREEN trail to climb back up again -note the second viewpoint, Čertův stolek, pictured below
• Remain on the GREEN path for 400m and then turn left onto the BLUE trail at the Kamenný potok junction. This returns back to Chotěboř station after 2.2 km