From Řečany to Přelouč via the UNESCO listed landscape at Kladruby nad Labem: 14 km

In 2019 the national horse breeding farm at Kladruby nad Labem and its surrounding landscape was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The historical farm and attached chateau can be visited on a guided tour, which can be sold out, so booking in advance is recommended.
Even for those not particularly into horses, the landscape is interesting and resembles a huge English-style park, with tree-lined avenues, pools, meadows and pastures. A 5km nature trail with 12 explanatory boards has recently been created to explore key features of the landscape and gives a good indication why the area has been inscribed in the prestigious World Heritage list.
For those wanting a longer walk which explores the countryside around Kladruby, consider the route shown in the map below. This starts at the Řečany train station (which has regular trains from the mainline station Kolín) and finishes at Přelouč (which is on the same train line). If driving, there is a car park at Řečany station, allowing the train to be used in one direction at the end (or beginning) of the walk.
Apart from viewing the paddock areas in Kladruby (and/or taking the tour around the farm/chateau), the route explores the extensive mixed forest area on the northern side of the Labe river plain. This is an attractive forest, growing in the sandy soil of the river basin and includes many varieties of tree. The paths are flat and easy.
This area was influenced by 15th and 16th century fishpond building and the trail passes the important Opatovice Canal, which was used to create ponds at the turn of the 15th century by the Pernštejn noble family. There are also some interesting, protected ponds, created by a ‘dead arm’ of the river Labe.
The route passes a couple of important churches – the Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in Řečany, which has a 12th century (Romanesque) origin – and the Baroque Church of Saint James the Greater in Přelouč, which is on one of the Bohemian sections of the Camino de Santiago, pilgrimage route. There is also an interesting Baroque chateau in the village of Semín, currently undergoing reconstruction.
Although the route crosses the Labe twice, none of the marked trails actually follow the riverbank. This is a shame as it is an attractive section of the river and worth exploring. There is an unmarked footpath on the left (south) bank of the river which (in theory) runs all the way between the Řečany and Přelouč bridges. Unfortunately, around halfway the footpath is supposed to cross the Brložský stream. There is no footbridge, and the footpath is missing for nearly a 1km after crossing the stream… but for adventurous walkers it is a nice route (probably best walked in winter or early spring before the section without a footpath becomes really overgrown with nettles).
Most of the 14 km route is on forest tracks, which are mostly wide and flat, so should be manageable with a good stroller. For refreshments, there is a restaurant in the farm courtyard at Kladruby. There are various refreshment options in Přelouč, but for a pleasant café, try Cukrárna Duo (map point 8).

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 the walk at Řečany train station taking the BLUE trail in the direction of Kladruby
The chateau and farm in Kladrubz are reached after 3.5 km, if walking there directly (the BLUE trail follows the main road)
If wanting to extend the walk with an exploration of the paddock area, the nature trail is reached (at map point 3) 2.3 km after leaving the station. The route can be taken either clockwise or anticlockwise from this point
After exploring he Kladruby farm-chateau area, return back to the BLUE trail and continue to the Kladruby nad Labem trail junction
At the junction, join the RED trail heading towards Přelouč
The chateau is Semín is reached after 3.5 km. Continue on the RED trail crossing the footbridge and heading into Přelouč town center (reached after 5.1 km)
The train station is 1 km from the center, following the RED trail