*A short walk to Hvězda chapel and best Broumov Walls viewpoints via Kovářova gorge: 6 km*

• The Broumov Walls are one of the country’s most spectacular sandstone rock formations. Formed from a block of sandstone laid down in the Cretaceous period, some 90 million years ago, when the area was covered by a shallow tropical sea, the Walls are famous for their curious shaped rock pillars and stunning viewpoints.
• The closest access point to the Walls is the parking area just below the famous Hvězda chapel, located on the ridge line overlooking the Broumov plain to the north. A short and easy walk from this spot is described here. However, for a slightly more challenging and rewarding walk, a good starting point is the village of Hlavňov, at the bottom of the road which leads up to the Hvězda parking. Hlavňov has its own (free) parking area and bus connections with the town of Police nad Metují.
• A major benefit of starting a walk in Hlavňov is that one of the access trails leading up to the ridgeline, passes along the spectacular Kovářova canyon, which was carved out by the Hlavňovský stream. The canyon, with a number of deep pseudo caves and towering rock faces on both sides, is a very atmospheric place. The trail tops out on the ridge close to some of the very best viewpoints in the whole of Broumovsko, including the amazing Skalní divadlo view, featured in the header photo.
• Just a short way along the ridge, the trail leads to the Hvězda pilgrimage chapel, one of the most popular destinations in Broumovko. Located at an altitude of 671m, the chapel was built in in 1731-1733 by the famous Czech Baroque architect Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer, who also designed the nearby magnificent Broumov monastery. The chapel has a five-pointed star design but is actually circular on the inside.
• Behind the chapel there is another excellent viewpoint, which is accessed via a stone bridge. Just 100m from the chapel is the well-known Chata Hvězda, an Alpine style wooden lodge built in the 19th century and today owned by the Benedictine order (who also own the Broumov monastery). The Chata operates as a restaurant and has a terrace with a view even better than the one from the behind the chapel.
• Just past the Chata on the BLUE trail (map point 9) there is an even better variant of the chapel view, accessed by squeezing through two sandstone rock boulders! There is a more direct (and easier) route back down from the ridge to Hlavňov. Back at the parking area, it is definitely worth stopping at the Ryba na Hrázi pub, located beside a fishpond (map point 2). Unsurprisingly, the pub specializes in excellent fish dishes. There is a terrace area for summer dining.
• The route shown below is just over 6 km long with around 250m of height to ascend-descend. Much of that height is on rock steps, which can be challenging when wet or icy. Despite it being only a short route it is quite strenuous terrain, especially in the canyon. An extended (13 km) version of this walk is available here which includes a much longer section along the ridge line.

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

• At the Hlavňov – horní trail junction (next to the car park), join the RED trail heading towards Hvězda (the Ryba na Hrázi pub is reached in 300m on the right side)
• Remain on the RED trail all the way through the gorge, reaching the Nad Kovářovou roklí on the ridgeline after 2.4 km
• At this point there is an option to turn right along the ridge for a short section, eg to visit the Supí hnízdo viewpoint, reached after 200m, or head left directly towards Hvězda
• On the left, 100m past the Nad Kovářovou roklí junction, there is the Skalní divadlo viewpoint, which should not be missed!
• After visiting the Skalní divadlo viewpoint, continue on the RED trail for 600m to reach the Hvězda pilgrimage chapel
• Continue along the ridge, on the BLUE trail for 150m to reach the Chata Hvězda
• A further 100m along the BLUE leads to the Veranda viewpoint
• Return back to the trail junction next to the Hvězda chapel and there take the RED trail heading downhill in the direction of Hlavňov
• After 1.4 km reach the Hlavňov – dolní junction and there turn left to follow the road back to the parking at Hlavňov – horní