Circuits in the countryside north of Sedlčany, including the Drahoušek tower: 5 km to 17 km

• One of the best viewpoints in the attractive rolling countryside near the central Bohemian town of Sedlčany is the 48m tall observation tower built on Drahoušek hill (504m] in 2004. The view from the top, reached via a spiral metal staircase, is truly panoramic. The tower is usually open daily in July/August and at weekends in the spring/autumn.
• The nearest village to the tower is Osečany, which has bus connections with Příbram and Benešov. The village does not, however, have good parking options, so if driving it is probably best to park in the small free parking area 500m below the tower (map point 4). Osečany has a fine Renaissance-Baroque chateau which is in private ownership and is slowly undergoing reconstruction. It is usually open to the public on Sundays from spring to autumn.
• Although it is just a short walk up to the tower from the car park, it is definitely worth considering making a longer trip in pretty countryside. Several circular loops are possible, as noted in the directions below. These range from around 5 km to the 17 km version shown in the map below.
• The longer route follows the course of two local streams – the Mastník and the Křečovický potok and passes through a number of attractive mixed forests (which are full of mushrooms in autumn). It is a varied and interesting country walk, but is best done in dry conditions as the paths can get waterlogged after heavy rain (and the streams can be challenging to cross in places).
• The full circular route also passes through the village of Radíč, which is notable for its elegant Baroque chateau (not usually open to the public, but can be rented for private events and weddings). There is around 320m of height to ascend-descend (excluding the tower) on a mix of generally easy forest and pasture tracks, with a couple of short asphalt sections. For refreshments, the pub in Osečany is worth checking out, but out of the main summer season may only be open from late afternoon.

Note: click ‘Show on map’ above to go to a full screen version directly on the mapy.cz site. This can be used for online navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file

Directions

• Starting at the Osečany, Podskalí bus stop, join the BLUE trail heading along the side road (not the main road)
• After 600m reach the Pod Osečany trail junction. There, join the RED trail heading in the direction of Paseky
• After 2 km reach the junction close to the observation tower. The tower is located 50m to the right off the main trail
• After visiting the tower, continue on the RED trail for a further 500m to reach the parking area on the north side of the hill
• At this point, if just wanting a 5 km circuit, turn left onto the road, leaving the marked hiking trail and return back to Osečany village along the access road
• If continuing on the longer circuit, stay on the RED trail for a further 3.7 km to reach the village of Křečovice
• In Křečovice, turn left onto the GREEN trail heading towards Radíč (note the path follows a stream which needs to be crossed a couple of times without a bridge!)
• After 5.8 km reach the village of Radíč and there turn left onto the BLUE trail, which returns to the Osečany, Podskalí bus stop after 4.4 km