Vraní skála viewpoint – a 10 km circular tour from Zdice into the Křivoklátsko hills

• The eastern part of the Křivoklátsko nature zone is bordered by a rocky series of ridges that rise above 500m in places, offering excellent views over the attractive forest landscape and the Litavka river valley. The D5 Prague-Plzen motorway runs through the valley but the forested ridges seem a world away from the busy highway.
• The highest point on the ridges is Vraní skála (536m), which is located at the end of one of the longest sections of extremely hard Buližník (bullied) rock in the country. Buližník is a striking, almost black, silicate rock created by volcanic process that impacted the sedimentary rocks laid down more than 600million years ago. The viewpoint at the top is a small scramble to reach but worthwhile for the 360 degree views – there are markers for various significant landmarks.
• Vraní skála can be reached from several directions, but the simplest approach is from the historic town of Zdice, located just off the Prague – Plzen highway, midway between Beroun and Žebrák. Zdice can be reached by bus from the Prague metro station in Zličín, and there are a few small parking areas in the town. Zdice has a recorded history dating back to the 12th century, but the area was settled long before that.
• An attractive circular route from Zdice can be created, offering a 10 km walk (with 340m of height gained-lost) in very pleasant meadow and forest landscape. The trails are all easy, except for the short rocky section up to the viewpoint. The first section of the route runs along the main road, passing the town open-air swimming pool – a good spot for a dip after the walk. There are various refreshment options in Zdice, including the Elce Pelce Café, next to a well regarded pizza restaurant, opposite the Baroque church. The café serves excellent coffee and home made cakes. The ice cream is good too.
• To extend the walk, consider adding a 3km loop on the attractive Lesopark trail, which starts in Zdice. This short but interesting educational trail leads through the town and onto the Knihov hill (site of an ancient hillfort). In the forest below, a well put together children’s adventure playground has been constructed along the nature trail path.
• Note – although the full loop to Vraní skála is not suitable for walkers with strollers, the 4 km section of path to-from Černín village (used as the return route in the directions below) is still a nice walk for those wanting a shorter, easier expedition in this attractive landscape.

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 at the Zdice-kostel trail signpost, near the center of town. Follow the BLUE hiking trail in the direction of Knížkovice
• The trail initially follows the main road, passing the town swimming pool after 1.3 km and then crosses the meadown to reach the village of Knížkovice after a further 1.4 km
• From Knížkovice stay on the BLUE trail for 1 km to reach the junction of Hřeben. Here, turn left onto the GREEN trail in the direction of V Potocích, which is reached after 700m
• At V Potocích turn right onto the YELLOW trail in the direction of Vraní skála
• The trail climbs quite steeply through the forest to reach the Vraní skála trail signpost. Here take the 60 m diversion to the left to climb up to the viewpoint and then return back to the signpost
• From the Vraní skála sign continue along the YELLOW trail which runs beneath the teeth-like ridge
• After 500m reach the trail junction and here turn right onto the BLUE trail in the direction of U Boudy
• The U Boudy junction is reached after 700m. Here, continue onto the YELLOW trail in the direction of Zdice
• The trail leads through the village of Černín and across the meadows back to Zdice center, which is reached after 4.1 km