*A circuit around Vysoký Ostrý peak (587m) with a visit to Střekov castle: 12 km*

• Vysoký Ostrý is a significant volcanic peak towering above a bend in the Labe (Elbe) river near the town of Ústí nad Labem. The panoramic view from the top – from a stone viewing platform reconstructed in 2014 – is one of the best in the České středohoří region. The ascent and descent routes follow an interesting 8 km nature trail with 16 information panels (only in Czech language). The trail begins in the village of Brná and finishes in Střekov next to the magnificent Gothic castle.
• Střekov castle (also known as Schreckenstein) was constructed in the early 14th century. Although abandoned in the 17th century, its romantic Gothic ruins have attracted poets and artists since the early 19th century, including Goethe, who described the vistas from the terraces as some of the best in Central Bohemia. The castle was acquired by the Lobkowitz family in the 16th century and remains in that family’s ownership to this day. The castle is usually open for tours from mid-March to October.
• There are bus connections to the start of the trail at Brná, but if travelling by car it is probably best to park in the extensive (free) car parks below Střekov castle and then follow the hiking trail on the side road to reach Brná (this is shown as the final section of the walk in the map below).
• The ascent and descent routes are not particularly steep (at least not compared to some other peaks in the České středohoří range) but the top section would be challenging in icy conditions. The circular route either starting in Brná or Střekov is 12.1 km long with 500m of height to ascend-descend. For refreshments, there is a pub in Brná but if the castle is open, it is definitely worth visiting the restaurant inside the castle walls, with its superb terrace overlooking the Labe river.

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 Brná, join the nature trail (marked with green-white diagonal stripes) at the Baroque Chapel of Saint Anne. The route initially heads uphill on a side road before joining a footpath through the Průčelský gorge
• The nature trail leads to the final summit path after 3.9 km. The summit path is marked with red triangle markers – it is 500m to the summit from this point
• Return back down the 500m summit path to rejoin the main nature trail which continues on a terrace footpath on the southwest flank of the mountain
• Follow the nature trail markers all the way down the mountain. It is 4.5 km from the summit to the car park beside Střekov castle
• From Střekov castle follow the GREEN hiking trail for 3.3 km to return back to the starting point at Brná