*Lovoš hill from Lovosice, Oparenské údolí and the river Labe; a 16 km tour*

• A lovely circular walk with a variety of terrain, starting from the historic town of Lovosice, located in the amazing České středohoří protected nature zone. The area is remarkable  due to channels of lava which burst through layers of sandstone rock some 20-30 million years ago creating a landscape of conical hills that appear to have erupted from an otherwise flat plain.
• The route initially climbs the volcanic hill of Lovoš with its spectacular 360 degree views, traverses the attractive forests and vineyards above the Labe, returning to Lovosice firstly through the tranquil Oparenské údolí, with its ancient water mills, and and finally along the Labe riverbank.
• The route is on good paths, although the section up to Lovoš hill is relatively steep. A total of 450m of height is gained-lost on the 16.7km route.
• Refreshments may be found at the attractive Černodolský mlýn restaturant or at the hut on Lovoš hill (check for opening times of both) . Back in Lovosice, try the nice café on the square near the chateau, called John1990. It also serves very good ice cream.

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 and finish the walk in the town centre of Lovosice (various parking areas available, including the large Penny Market car park). Lovosice is easily reached off the D8 highway
• At the Lovosice – centrum signpost, join the GREEN trail in the direction of Lovoš
• Continue out of town on the GREEN trail and through the residential area towards the Lovoš hill. The track steepens as it enters the wooded area of the hill and winds up on zigzags until reaching the junction with the BLUE trail, just below the summit (3.2km from Lovosice centre)
• Turn right onto the BLUE trail which leads up the summit where there are several viewpoints for a spectacular 360 degree vista. There is also a small chata serving refreshments on the summit (but is only open in the summer at certain times)
• From the summit, return down the BLUE trail, continuing down the hill in the direction of Oparno
• The village of Oparno is reached after 2.7km on the BLUE trail. In the village is the pension/restaurant Oráč, which is usually open for lunch at weekends
• Continue through the village, still on the BLUE trail, until reaching the signpost of Oparno – pod hradem, just before the railway bridge
• At the signpost take the GREEN trail to the left, up the slope. After 300m reach the ruins of the medieval castle of Oparno (likely constructed in the early 14th century)
• Continue on the GREEN trail for a further 500m to reach the water mill of Oparenský mlýn (probably dating from the 17th century)
• At the mill turn right onto the BLUE trail in the direction of Černodolský mlýn, which is reached after 800m on this trail. This mill (which is a hotel/pension) has a restaurant with a nice terrace, and is usually open Thursday to Sunday.
• From Černodolský mlýn , take the GREEN trail in the direction of Oparenské údolí, Stay on this trail along the attractive valley for 3.4km until reaching the signpost of Malé Žernoseky
• At the Malé Žernoseky signpost, turn sharply left onto the YELLOW trail (direction Malé Žernoseky train station)
• Continue on the YELLOW trail for 1km (around the football pitch, through the vineyards and then across the main road, to finally reach the river Labe)
• At the Labe riverbank turn right and continue on the YELLOW trail, along the river, until reaching Lovosice town. The trail cuts across the park to reach the town centre and parking areas