A complete circle around the scenic Kamýk reservoir – 23 km

• The Kamýk reservoir was created in the 1950’s by damming the river Vltava near the town of Kamýk nad Vltavou. Its purpose was to compensate for the fluctuating outflow from the power plant on the Orlík dam reservoir and protect against flood damage further downstream. As a result of the meanders of the Vltava in this section of the river, Kamýk became one of the most scenic reservoirs in the country. It is just 10km in length, with bridges at both ends, which creates the opportunity for a superb walking route around the entire reservoir.
• The circular route offers many fine views of the reservoir and there is an option to visit one of the best viewpoints at the Milady lookout tower. The tower has 9 floors and is open at weekends from April to October (every day in July and August). A shorter (7 km) walk starting near the Orlík dam is available just visiting this fine spot – follow this link to view the walk.
• The route starts in the town of of Kamýk nad Vltavou, which has regular bus connections with Příbram and Dobříš. For drivers, there is a parking area close to the river. The town probably dates from the end of the 10th century. Just above the town are the well preserved ruins of Vrškamýk castle, which the route passes through. The royal castle dates from the early 12th century, when Kamýk was a regional center for the late Přemyslid rulers of Bohemia. It is one of the most important ruins from this period. There is a newly constructed lookout tower and park area directly in the castle grounds.
• After passing through the castle area, the route traverses the fields to the ancient village of Zduchovice, with its Baroque chateau. From Zduchovice the trail descends to the reservoir edge at the village of Solenice, close to the Orlík dam. The route crosses the reservoir via a footbridge and then ascends towards the Milada lookout. From there, the final section of the trail winds along the south side of the reservoir back to Kamýk nad Vltavou. This long trail, mostly on a terrace, is one of the nicest in the area, offering views of Kamýk reservoir and is lined with granite rock outcrops and boulders.
• The total route is 23.2 km with 690m of height gained-lost on the journey. There are some quite steep descents in the section of the trail in the forest areas on the south side of the reservoir, but the paths are mostly easy forest and farm tracks, with one road section descending into Solenice. There are several refreshment options on the route, with a good restaurant in Zduchovice and an excellent kiosk below the Milada lookout tower (only open at the same times as the tower). In Kamýk, the U Smrček pub and the café Zmrzka u ADI (which has some excellent home made ice cream) on the main street come recommended.

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 in the center of Kamýk nad Vltavou and take the GREEN trail in the direction of Zduchovice
• After 800m reach the newly constructed lookout tower and then after a further 600m the castle ruins of Vrškamýk
• From the castle, continue on the GREEN trail across the fields to reach the village of Zduchovice in 2.8 km
• From Zduchovice, continue on the GREEN trail in the direction of Solenice, which is reached after 5.4 km
• Cross the footbridge and join the RED trail which leads after 2.7 km to the parking area below the Milada lookout tower
• To visit the tower – which is highly recommended – take the side road up the hill for 300m to reach the lookout and then return back to the parking area
• Stay on the RED trail as it winds along the southern terraces above the reservoir, passing the Kamýk dam to reach the road bridge after 10.1 km
• At the bridge turn off the RED trail onto the GREEN trail which crosses the bridge and returns to the center of Kamýk nad Vltavou in 500m