*A circuit around the protected nature areas on the volcanic peaks near Hlinná: 9 km to 15 km*

• Three lovely protected nature areas are sited on the craggy volcanic peaks which ring the České středohoří village of Hlinná, some 9 km north of Litoměřice. The protection arises primarily from the rare plants found on these particular peaks, which are less forested than most of the České středohoří volcanic mountains.
• All three peaks (Hradiště – 545m, Lysá hora – 577m and Plešivec – 510m) can be combined in a really interesting, but quite strenuous 15 km circular walk, starting and finishing in Hlinná. If only wanting to tackle the two closest peaks (Hradiště and Lysá hora) then the route is a less arduous 9 km.
• There are spectacular views from all three peaks, but each has slightly different terrain. Hradiště is lined with ancient crumbling dry stone walls, and the descent route passes through a lovely section of beech and oak forest. Lysá hora has the most open terrain, with many protected plants and some amazing basalt rock formations. Plešivec is famous for its ‘sea’ of frost shattered granite boulders. The unique geology of the fields of rocks creates ice pits that can keep snow frozen on the hillside until early summer.
• The route is mostly on meadow and forest footpaths. The ascent and descent routes can be quite steep, particular the ascent of Plešivec, but the paths are not dangerous. Note that on Lysá hora there are hardly any marked trails, so it is best to follow the route using a good map, or the mapy.cz application.
• There are no refreshments on the route apart from the pub in Hlinná (which is good, but usually only open in the early afternoon at weekends). If the pub is closed, consider a stop in the nearby the historic town of Litoměřice, where there are several interesting cafés and restaurants.

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

• Hlinná is on a bus route from Litoměřice (buses may not run at weekends). For drivers, there is a small parking area on the edge of the village, on the normal route to-from Litoměřice
• From the village center, join the YELLOW trail in the direction of Hradiště
• The trail climbs steadily to reach the peak after 1 km
• From Hradiště continue downhill on the YELLOW trail heading in the direction of Skalice, which is reached in 2.2 km
• At the Skalice junction, join the RED trail and follow this for 1.8 km to reach the village of Lbín
• In Lbín, join the GREEN trail in the direction of Hlinná
• After 1.2 km on the GREEN trail, just before the trail starts to descend towards Hlinná village, turn sharply right onto the unmarked footpath that leads gently uphill across the meadow (this is the beginning of the nature trail)
• Follow the most obvious path (still unmarked) as it bends towards the highest peak – the route at this point is most easily followed using the mapy.cz phone application – the summit ridge of Lysá hora is reached in 1.1 km
• From the summit of Lysá hora follow one of the the unmarked footpaths downhill towards Hlinná (the ridge path is the nicest)
• The road leading out of Hlinná is reached 700m after leaving the summit
• At the road pick up the GREEN hiking trail which leads back to Hlinná village in 1.2 km
• In the village, if planning to continue on to the third peak – Plešivec – take the YELLOW trail in the direction of Kamýk
• Continue on this trail for 2.1 km until reaching the junction of Pod Plešivcem – kap.
• At the junction, turn right onto the BLUE trail ascending steeply across the boulder fields to the summit of Plešivec, which is reached after 600m
• From the summit, descend on the far side staying on the BLUE trail for 450m until reaching a crossroads. Turn right at the crossroads onto the nature trail (also a cycle path)
• Stay on this trail as it circles the hill through the deciduous forest to reach the YELLOW hiking trail after 1 km. Turn left onto the YELLOW trail to return back to Hlinná after 1.2 km