*A complete circle around Máchovo jezero, Bohemia’s popular resort lake – 14 km*

• Máchovo jezero is the largest Czech pond outside South Bohemia and became very famous in the 19th century as a tourist destination. In the 1930’s the resorts on the lakeshore marketed themselves as the largest outdoor spa in Czechoslovakia, with comparisons to the French Riviera and St Moritz as a desirable destination. Part of the appeal was due to the association with romantic Czech poet Karel Hynek Mácha, who visited at least six times in the 1830’s and used the lake as the setting for his most famous poem, ‘Máj’. The lake was renamed in Mácha’s honor.
• The pond is not natural, but was created in the 14th century on the order of Emperor Charles IV, who apparently wanted to enjoy a swim while on hunting expeditions in the area. Today, the legacy of Charles IV’s hunting expeditions still attracts many thousands of visitors, especially in summer, who are drawn to the sandy beaches, pine tree-lined trails and views towards the legendary castle of Bezděz.
• A complete walk around the pond on marked hiking trails is 15 km long. It is possible to start a circuit of the pond at any point, including the main resorts of Doksy and Staré Splavy, both of which have train stations on the regional line from Mladá Boleslav. There are several parking areas – those closest to the main road from Mladá Boleslav and the camp sites are paid – but there are a couple of other forest parking areas that are unpaid – they can be found easily on mapy.cz.
• A suggested place to start is Staré Splavy, which has good parking, a ferry port, some recommended restaurants and a sandy beach for refreshment after the walk. It is also possible to walk a segment of the trail and catch a ferry boat (such as the Máj – pictured above) at one of several docking stations on the shore to complete the circuit.
• From Staré Splavy, it is suggested to walk around the lake in a clockwise direction, initially passing through the Staré Splavy port area and then following the lakeshore below the sandstone hill of Šroubený. There are fine viewpoints available with small diversions, either directly on the lake or on the hill.
• The trail then passes through the old swamp area – there are nature trail information boards on the route – before reaching the eastern side of the lake. Here there is a choice of path – alongside the lakeshore with several campsites, or in the pine forest area slightly away from the shore. This latter path passes several photogenic sandstone rock outcrops.
• The trail then reaches the corner of Břehyňský rybník, a large pond probably created at the same time (the 14th century) as Máchovo lake. The trail then circles back towards the resort of Doksky through the pine forests again, passing the popular and excellent ice cream kiosk of U Leknínu, near to Břehyňský rybník (the same establishment also has nice accommodation).
• In Doksy, the trail passes the Renaissance chateau owned for many centuries by the Valdštejn (Wallenstein) family, before being confiscated by the state in 1945. The chateau is open for public tours and the English garden free to visit. In Doksy it is possible to visit the famous beach -payment required – or continue back to Staré Splavy along the forested path. In Staré Splavy there is also the option to divert to visit the (paid) beach with a small aquapark – the white sand beach is very attractive. See the short walk around Staré Splavy for more details.
• The full circular walk is 14.4 km long, with 100m of height gained-lost on the route, assuming no detours are taken. The trail is mostly on good forest paths, but these are often very sandy and would be a struggle with a stroller. There are several refreshment options along the way, of which the U Leknínu kiosk is recommended. Back at Staré Splavy, try the Turnovská pivnice Nad Jezerem directly next to the ferry station.

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

• From the Staré Splavy train station, take the YELLOW trail in the direction of the Máchovo jezero. The port area and small beach is reached in 700m
• At the Máchovo jezero trail junction, take the BLUE trail in the direction of Pod Šroubeným and continue around the lake shore and then former swamp area for 1.9 km to reach the Staré Splavy parking trail junction
• At the junction, continue on the BLUE trail for 80m and then join the GREEN trail heading towards Kemp Borný on the lakeshore
• Stay on the GREEN trail (which avoids the lakeside road past the campsites and heads inland through the pine forests) to reach the corner of Břehyňský rybník (pond) after 4.7 km
• From Břehyňský rybník, stay on the GREEN trail for 2.9 km until reaching the Doksy – Masarykovy sady trail junction
• At the junction, join the RED trail in the direction of Doksy. This trail runs through Doksy town past the beach area and reaches Staré Splavy train station after 4.1 km (note – if wanting to spend time on a beach after the walk divert to the paid sandy beach – acquapark area at Staré Splavy. The side path is located 500m before reaching the station on the RED trail)