*The Pardoubek pond fairytale trail at the spa town of Lázně Bělohrad: 2 km*

• If spending time in (or passing through) the east Bohemian spa town of Lázně Bělohrad, take moment to walk the 1 km ‘nature’ trail around the Pardoubek pond. In 2014 a trail featuring larger-than-life wooden figures – made by three local sculptors – was created around the picturesque pond. The pond is located next to the well known modern spa hotel, ‘Tree of Life’.
• Although the trail is designed for children, some of the larger‐than‐life wooden figures — including several devilish creatures, a huge spider, and a statue of a drowning man — strike quite a dramatic tone. Some families might feel a few statues veer into the eerie side for the youngest walkers. On the lighter side in the collection, a personal favourite is the waving figure of ‘Nessie’. It is good to see some British myths have made it to the east Bohemian countryside.
• After taking the trail (which is completely flat a stroller-friendly), consider taking refreshments in the up-market ‘Tree of Life‘. The huge dining room is a bit soulless but has a well regarded (Hejlík recommended) restaurant. The attractive Lobby bar also serves snacks and good coffee.

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

• Lázně Bělohrad is on a regional bus and train line, but most visitors probably will drive to the spa town. There is a large paid parking area directly next to the Tree of Life hotel and the pond
• The 1 km trail around the pond is obvious and can be done in either direction