The summits of Raná and Oblík, two unique volcanic hills near Louny – 3 km to 11 km

• The České středohoří landscape is filled with remnants of Bohemia’s violent volcanic past. Some 20 to 30 million years ago, as a consequence of the dramatic tectonic movements that led to the formation of the alps, hot magma burst through faults and cracks in the chalk and sandstone bedrock across areas of Northern Bohemia . Subsequent erosion of the softer surrounding rock left exposed the hardened magma in countless dome-like hills and small mountains.
• Many of those volcanic peaks are today covered in dense forest and offer only infrequent viewpoints. However, in the southern section of the nature zone, just to the north of the historic town of Louny, several peaks are almost without tree cover. Instead they have steppe-like grassy slopes, that are filled with rare plant specimens. In summer, the slopes are majestically full of colorful flowers, reminiscent of an alpine meadow in June.
• Two of the most prominent and famous of these ‘steppe’ hills are Raná (457m ) and Oblík (509m). These are both national nature reserves. Both are also used regularly by paragliders and are probably the most well known locations for these sports in Bohemia.
• Raná is the more easily accessed of the two peaks, with the village of the same name just at its foot. The village has regular bus connections with Louny (which is a 9 km walk away) and has various places for parking (including by the church) and the meeting place for the paragliding firms (which is a paid parking area).
• There are two routes up Raná – the main trail starts from the paragliding parking, 500m south of the village. This trail is not particularly steep. The alternative path is an exciting steep track that leads up the east flank of the hill and starts close to the Raná church. The route shown in the map assumes taking the east face path for the ascent with a descent along the ‘normal’ route. However, if preferring to avoid the very steep east path, then use the normal route for both ascent and descent.
• If only climbing Raná, the traverse route described above is just 3 km in length with around 180m of climbing. To continue from Raná and climb Orlík on the same trip, it is necessary to follow the main road for 450m and then take the lane which leads past the Statek Oblík (a working farm which also offers exclusive accommodation). It is possible to traverse the peak and descend the path on the north side which leads to the village of Mnichov. From there the route returns to Raná village along a country lane. The ascent and descent routes for Oblík are moderately steep, with 270m of climbing.
• The total circular route covering both peaks is 11 km long with 450m of height gained-lost. There is a restaurant in Raná village, 100m to the northwest of the church, which may be available for refreshments and also at the paragliding car park. If driving, consider a quick stop in the nearby town of Louny, which has a beautiful Renaissance character. The town square has various refreshment options, including an excellent café (Cukrána Fragolino) serving super Italian 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

• From Raná village if taking the steep east path head to the church and take the footpath that leads up the hill from behind the church. After 200m take the left fork in the path. This leads steeply up the east ridge line to reach the fore-summit in 450m (note – the east ridge path can also be reached by a small footpath from the paragliding car park)
• From the fore-summit continue 350 along the ridge to reach the main summit
• From the summit, continue down the west ridge for 300m to reach the Raná – NPR, sedlo trail junction. Here, turn left and follow the main path all the way down to the car park used by the paragliding firms (there are usually several caravans and there is a small pub serving refreshments)
• From the car park, continue down the access road to reach the main road in 700m. Cross over the road and walk alongside the road for 450m, until there is a turning on the left marked Oblík. Take this turn
• After 400, the track joins with the GREEN hiking trail. Turn left along the GREEN trail and follow this for 1 km to reach the Statek Oblík residential complex
• Continue past the farm-hotel on the GREEN trail. This steepens gradually and reaches the summit in 1.4 km
• From the summit take the GREEN trail down the opposite side of the hill to reach the village of Mnichov in 1.5 km
• From Mnichov, follow the country lane which leads back to Raná village in 3 km (crossing the main road once again)