From Harasov lake along the Kokořínský důl valley to the Hradsko hillfort: 8 km

• Kokořínský důl is the central canyon-like valley of the Kokořínsko protected landscape area, created by the Pšovka stream eroding the deep layer of sedimentary sandstone, laid down when the Bohemian basin was covered by a tropical sea in the late Cretaceous period. It features some of the most spectacular sandstone scenery in the country.
• Several walks in this guide include sections of this famous valley, while the walk on this page is a simple traverse of the middle section, finishing with a circle around the prehistoric site of Hradsko. It is a fine introduction to the delights of the Kokořínsko region.
• The walk starts at the Harasov lake, a popular spot for a summer swim from one of the grassy beaches. The trail traverses the north side of the pond, via a series of steps, which are somewhat damaged by rockfall (as noted when last walked in March 2023), but the route is still passable with care.
• The route follows a section of the Máchova cesta, named after the 19th century poet Karel Hynek Mácha, who was a keen walker and in 1832 completed the trip from Mělník to Doksy, as part of a longer journey (Mácha’s day trips tended to be 50-60 km long…). The Máchova cesta is today part of the E10 European long-distance footpath, which crosses the Czech Republic.
• After walking along the Kokořínský důl for 3 km after starting at Harasov, the trail arrives at an intersection of two valleys. Perched above the intersection is the Hradsko settlement, which was a notable Slavic (9th century) fortress. However, this strategic site has been inhabited for nearly 30,000 years (first by hunter-gatherers who used the site as a regular camp, then by Neolithic and Bronze Age farmers, of which the latter first started to fortify the site). The footpath to the settlement winds through a classic sandstone ‘rock town’.
• Note that route involves 190m of height to ascend/descend on relatively steep sections of footpath in the sandstone rocks. The return route is back along the valley, either on the outbound trail or the road. For refreshments, there is a bistro next to the pond and below Hradsko, the well-known historic pub, Grobiana.

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 Harasov lake, where there is a large paid parking area, and (occasional) bus connections from Mšeno and Mělník
• Take the RED trail in the direction of U Grobiána. The trail circles around the north side of the pond -note there are steep step sections
• The trail reaches the U Grobiána junction in 2.9 km
• At the junction, join the YELLOW trail heading initially along the road continuing down the main Kokořínský důl (direction Hrasko 1 km). After 150m, the YELLOW trail diverts steeply up through the rocks – take this path, which reaches the plateau after a further 300m
• From the Hradsko settlement on the plateau, continue on the YELLOW trail which circles back to the U Grobiána junction after 1.5 km
• Return back to Harasov on the outbound trail, or for a quicker journey walk the 3 km back along the road