*The Šipín nature trail and Gutštejn castle ruins, near Konstantinovy Lázně: 8 km (extendable)*

• Konstantinovy Lázně is a small but pretty spa, located around 40 km northwest of Plzeň in attractive hilly countryside. The spa took its name from Prince Konstantin Josef of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg, who acquired the village in the 19th century. The spa specializes in disorders of the cardiovascular system based on mineral springs containing the highest concentration of carbon dioxide of all the springs in the country.
• There are a number of good walks in the area if visiting for the day or staying in the spa. The extensive ruins of Gutštejn castle are one of the most popular sites to visit within easy reach of Konstantinovy Lázně. There is also a fine 7 km nature trail to explore after visiting the ruins. The trail traverses the ridges created by the Úterský and Hadovka streams.
• The ridge above the confluence of the two streams was fortified by Slavic settlers in the 8th century – possibly the earliest Slavic settlement in western Bohemia. This hillfort was later destroyed – possibly by Přemyslid forces in the 10th century – and a new hillfort created on the site of today’s Šipín settlement, which is notable today for its fine Baroque church.
• Gutštejn castle probably replaced the Šipín hillfort as the main defensive site in the area when it was first built around 1300. The castle was besieged by Jan Žižka during the 15th century Hussite wars but survived and remained in use until the 17th century, when it was finally abandoned. The romantic Gothic ruins are freely accessible.
• There is a small parking area just 500m from the ruins, but if preferring to start in Konstantinovy Lázně (and if only using public transport) it is a pleasant 6 km walk along the YELLOW trail to reach the castle. The Šipín-Gutštejn walk can easily be combined with the longer (up to 18 km) Krasíkov/Švamberk walk to create a varied long walk.
• The standalone 8 km Šipín-Gutštejn circuit is on mixed terrain, with an easy section along the stream back from Šipín, but quite a hilly section along the ridge, with some steeper paths – but none are difficult. There is just under 200m of height to ascend-descend on the route. There are no refreshment options on the route, except for a couple of natural springs near Šipín.

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

• Starting at the car park at Daňkov (5 km southeast of Konstantinovy Lázně), join the YELLOW trail heading towards the forest and reach the Gutštejn ruins after 500m
• From Gutštejn, continue on the YELLOW trail for 800m to reach the U Starého mostu junction. Here, head uphill, remaining on the YELLOW trail
• After 1.2 km reach the site of the 8th century Slavic settlement (Bezemín) and continue a further 1.5 km to reach Šipín
• At Šipín, join the RED trail which follows the stream to return to the U Starého mostu junction after 2.5 km
• Return back to the car park in 1.3 km following the outbound (YELLOW) trail