Challenging scrambles in the rock labyrinths near Mšeno – an 8 km walk

When the shallow Cretaceous sea (which covered half of Bohemia some 90 million years ago) finally retreated, it left behind a legacy that today makes hiking in parts of the Czech countryside an extraordinary adventure. Deposited on the seabed were hundreds of meters of sand, washed down from the surrounding hillsides by massive tropical storms. Over time, the sand was compacted into layers of sandstone. Then those layers were uplifted, cracked and infused with streams of hot magma, by the same tectonic events that created the Alps. In the following millennia, those cracked sandstone layers, colored and hardened by volcanic processes, were eroded into blocks of every imaginable shape and size, with tall columns, deep canyons and twisting corridors.
These amazing sandstone rock formations can be found in many places throughout northern Bohemia, most famously in České Švýcarsko and Český ráj. The formations in the Kokořinsko region are sometimes overlooked in favor of the grander and taller rocks in neighboring regions, but the sandstone in Kokořinsko is unique for its variety of colors – the area was most heavily influenced by volcanism.
Some of the most interesting ‘rock towns’ are to be found just to the northwest of the town of Mšeno. These include the famous Pokličky ‘mushroom’ rocks (visited in a separate walk) . However, for a challenging scramble through the corridors, crevices and towering pillars of colorful sandstone, the 8 km Cinibulkova stezka, which starts in Mšeno is definitely worth trying. This path – created in the 1940’s – circles through the rocks in an almost labyrinth-like set of twists and turns, with narrow cracks and steep step sections to navigate. There is even a short section requiring use of a chain to ascend (or descend, depending on which way round the route is taken).
This is a walk for people who enjoy scrambling over rocks. It is not particularly difficult – especially if completed in an anticlockwise direction, where the steepest sections are taken as ascents – but it is not a gentle stroll in the forest. The recommended route shown in the map is 7.6 km long, assuming a start in the town center, with 290m of height gained -lost. This is slightly less than the full Cinibulkova stezka as the author’s suggested route finishes by walking through the interesting Debř valley, rather than looping through one more rock section.
The tour’s starting point is in the town of Mšeno, which has an interesting recorded history, stretching back to the 14th century king Wenceslas III, but the settlement is probably Slavic (6th century AD) in origin. Mšeno can be reached by train on the regional line that runs between Mělník and Mladá Boleslav (there are direct trains from Prague at weekends – note that the train station is 700m from the town center). There are various parking areas in town, including a small free parking area just off the main square, behind the church.
The walk passes the famous art deco town spa (see the picture below) which provides an opportunity for a refreshing dip after the walk. There are no refreshment stops available directly on the route, but there are various options in Mšeno, and at the swimming pool. In Mšeno center, there is an excellent coffee and cake shop, the Cukrárna U Živných a měšťáků and on the other side of the church a popular ice cream parlor, Zmrzlinový ráj. Both are worth visiting.

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 at the Mšeno main town square and follow the Cinibulkova stezka trail in the direction of Romanov – note, this trail is marked with yellow-white diagonal stripes
After 900m the trail enters the Debř valley, with sandstone cliffs on either side – there is a children’s play area here
After 70m the yellow-white marked trail turns right up some sandstone steps. Take this path
Follow the trail into the first set of rocks, near the village of Romanov, reached after 1.1 km
Continue on the winding forest trail to reach the trail junction -signpost at Odb. k vyhlídkám. Here there is an option to take the short – 150m – detour to the viewpoint
From Odb. k vyhlídkám continue on the yellow-white trail to reach the U Bludiště signpost after 500m. This is the beginning of the most challenging (and exciting) section of the path. (For anyone who struggled in the Romanov rocks, then there is an option to skip this 600m long section by taking the 30m short cut path to the left to rejoin the trail after the challenging section – this is marked on the map at map point 8)
From U Bludiště continue on the yellow-white trail through the rock labyrinth, which lasts for 600m. The trail then runs along the road for 200m to reach the trail junction of Na Rovinách – háj
At Na Rovinách – háj, stay on the yellow-white trail for 50m but then turn left onto the BLUE hiking trail to follow the Lesopark Debř nature trail, with its information boards featuring items in this gently descending sandstone gorge.
After 1.3km reach the town spa-swimming pool. From the pool continue on the yellow-white striped path again back to the town center, which is reached in 600m