Circular walks towards Jablečno village and the scenic Zbiroh ponds – 5 km to 9 km

• If visiting or staying at Zbiroh chateau and want an easy short walk which gives a taste of the beautiful Křivoklátsko forests with their dark rock formations and viewpoints, then consider the following short walk from the center of Zbiroh village towards the heritage village of Jablečno, returning past the picturesque Zbiroh ponds which are often lined with people fishing.
• Jablečno is a small village in the hills above Zbiroh, built in a traditional medieval circular style, with the village square at the center. Jablečno has a number of well maintained 18th and 19th century timbered buildings.
• From the center of Zbiroh village the suggested route initially climbs the hill to the north of the village, passing the dramatic Hlavatice rocks – which are quite overgrown but worth a quick detour. There is then a choice whether to short cut along the public road to the path alongside the ponds – for a 5 km walk – or continue on through the forest area to Jablečno to complete a full 9 km circuit. The latter involves 160 m of height gained- lost. Both routes are on easy forest paths and quiet asphalt roads. There are refreshment options along the main street in Zbiroh village.
• For an additional challenging walk to the rocky viewpoints in the forest area behind Zbiroh chateau, follow the link to the Čertova skála walk. The Jablečno walk can easily be combined with the Čertova skála walk to create a varied medium length tour.

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 on the main street of Zbiroh village. Take the GREEN trail down the street in the direction of Na Starém Zbiroze
• After 1 km reach the trail junction of Podzbirožský rybník and trurn right up the hill, staying n the GREEN trail
• After 600m the Hlavatice rocks are on the right side
• Continue 150 m further along the GREEN trail to reach the public road. Here, if wanting the 5 km option, turn left onto the road, and descend for 900m to reach the BLUE trail. On reaching the BLUE trail, turn left and follow this trail past the fishponds to reach the Zbiroh main street after 1.7 km
• If wanting the 9 km option, turn right at the road junction, still following the GREEN trail
• After 400m on the road, reach the junction of Na Starém Zbiroze. Here, turn left staying on the GREEN trail in the direction of Na Ohradě
• The trail traverses a forest area for 2.1 km to reach the junction of Na Ohradě. Here, turn left onto the YELLOW trail in the direction of Jablečno
• The village center is reached in 900m. Here, turn left onto the BLUE trail which leads past the fishponds to return back to Zbiroh main street after 3.5 km