A circuit in the Slavkovský forest around the spa village of Lázně Kynžvart: 19 km to 21 km

Lázně Kynžvart is a small spa town located 8 km northwest of the much more famous UNESCO listed spa of Mariánské Lázně. There are a couple of excellent spots to visit in the area around Lázně Kynžvart, including the beautiful Kladská nature trail, which circles an important peat bog and the pretty Kladský pond. Closer to the town is the historic Kynžvart chateau, which is definitely worth a visit.
Both of these destinations can be visited on standalone short walks, which can be accessed by clicking the respective links. However, they can also be combined together for a longer trip incorporating sections in the protected nature zone of the Slavkovský forest. This longer route is described below.
If travelling by public transport, the train station at Lázně Kynžvart is a convenient starting point. It is an easy 1.6 km walk from there to the chateau (where there is a large paid parking area). From the chateau it is a 1.8 km walk into the spa area.
The circuit in the forest area starts with a climb into the hills behind the spa, passing below the remains of the old medieval fortress which was abandoned in the 17th century after the 30 Years War. Note that the walls are crumbling and accessing the site is not recommended.
From the old castle the route circles through the forest on the high plateau using a forest road that becomes a cross country ski trail in winter. The trail continues on the to reach Kladská and the 2 km nature trail around the pond. Refreshments should be available in Kladská at the small pension/restaurant next to the old hunting lodge.
From Kladská, the route circles back through the forest to reach the spa town and then across the meadows to return back to the station. If starting and finishing at the train station it is a 21.3 km route, with just over 400m of height to climb-descend. If driving and starting at the chateau it is a 19.4 km route. In addition to refreshments in Kladská, there is a café at the chateau.

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 the train station, join the GREEN hiking trail heading towards Kynžvart chateau, which is reached after 1.6 km
From the chateau , continue on the GREEN trail to reach Lázně Kynžvart after 1.8 km
In the town centre join the YELLOW trail heading in the direction of Hvězda
After 1.2 km pass below the crumbling walls of Kyn žvart castle and continue a further 1.8 km to reach the Vysoké sedlo junction
At the junction, turn right and follow the forest road for 4.3 km to reach the Hvězda junction
At Hvězda join the GREEN trail heading towards Kladská. After 1.2 km reach the information centrer in Kladská which is where the nature trail begins
Follow the trail clockwise for 2.4 km, returning back to Kladská at the end
From Kladská, take the RED trail back to Lázně Kynžvart, reached in 5 km
From the town center, take the YELLOW trail back to the Kynžvart train station, reached in 2.1 km