"The darkest shadows of the mountains, there birch leans to pine, pine to birch. Wave after wave rushes down the stream. Every creature boils with love - in the time of love."
— Karel Hynek MÁCHA (May) 

As part of this year's small Máchov journey, we will set off to several remarkable parts of the Máchov region that we have not visited yet. On the first day, we will first walk along the well-known Kokořínsko route from Liběchov via Vidím to Housku. On the second day, via the Doksy recreation center (originally Hirschberg) by Máchov Lake, we will enter the beautiful wilderness hidden behind the backdrop of the Bezděz and Máchov Lake doubles - the Břehyně-Pecopala National Nature Reserve. It consists of the unique ecosystem of the Břehyně Pond, which is a nesting site for many birds (white-tailed eagles), and a sandstone plateau with the neovolcanic basalt peak of Pecopala (Pece), covered with pines and beech forests; we will walk through the Hradčany beech forest and the Hradčany walls with a number of small rock towns, overhangs and ravines (for example, a wolf was spotted here). The next day we will visit the Provodínské stones with seven neovolcanic rocks with the dominant Lysa skála, we will descend to the Jestřebská basin and walk along the edge of the unique national nature reserve Novozámecký rybník, which is an important international ornithological site. We will pass through the villages of Zahrádky and Holany and the system of beautiful Holanské rybník ponds to Koňský rybník. On the last day we will climb the basalt cone of Ronov with the castle, visit the Baroque Calvary at Ostré with a unique view of Sedlo and we will end our journey in Úštěk. If you cannot go on the entire journey (90 km), you can walk any part of it with us, or you can join us anywhere. We do not provide accommodation in advance anywhere, except in Houska.

Saturday 5. 5: Liběchov–Maří Magdaléna–Starý zámek–Vidim–Dobřeň–Houska (24 km)

We will meet in Liběchov at Náměstí Václava Levého by the castle, from where we will set off at 8 a.m. (the bus from Prague to Liběchov arrives at 7:24 or 8:09 a.m.). We will follow the blue tourist trail to the rock sculptures in the Nad Hubenovem forest. –Mary Magdalene Cave, Harp and Snake –, which are attributed to the sculptor Václav Levý. From here we will descend to Stupid and we will continue past the neo-Romanesque chateau Slavin following the green tourist trail to Kingdom. Fromat the crossroads, turn right following the blue sign to the settlement of Vidim; switch to the green sign and follow it to Střezivojický mine and to the village GoodFrom here we will continue along the green to Dobřenský mine and through Furrowed hill up to Konrad's. Then we go through Petrified Castle at a crossroads Under Druclik, from which we will follow the red trail past the Luňák Chapel on the well-known path to Houska. We will visit the beech forest above Houska Castle and, if the night is clear, we will observe the stars.. We will refresh our tired bodies in the Na konci sil pub. We will sleep under the open sky or in the Hostince pod Houskou. (With reference to D. Abram, we will say something about the language of birds, or rather about the nature of indigenous oral languages, in which human speech is intertwined with the voices and cries of the local landscape.)

"Come, listen to the earth with us. For those who have learned to hear its songs, the earth can soothe the restless heart, refresh the weary heart, soften the hardened heart, reorient the lost heart."
— Steve van MATRE (The Earth Speaks)

Sunday 6. 5.: Houska–Korecký vrch–Doxes–Břehynský pond–Pecopala–Dog Church (25 km)

The next day we will set off from Houska following the blue and then yellow tourist trail to Borejova to the Baroque church of St. James the Greater. From there we will continue to Ždírec and then follow the green trail to Korecký Hill (465 m above sea level) and around Zbynsky Hill until Doksy near Mácha Lake. In Doksy we will visit the Memorial of Karel Hynek Mácha, who stayed here with his friend Eduard Hindl, and then we will follow the yellow trail, first to King's chair and then to Břehyně-Pecopala National Nature Reserve. The reserve is one of the most important wetlands in northern Bohemia; 164 bird species have been recorded here; the white-tailed eagle, the grey crane, and the great horned owl reside here. From the Břehyňský pond we will walk Mill Gorge and By cannon route under the peak Firecrackers (Care, 451 m above sea level), a beautiful conical knot of Tertiary basalt. We will continue through the beech-pine forest of Hradčany beech forest to Ash comb and follow the blue sign to Hradčany wallsfrom where we look to Ploučnice river valleyFrom there we follow the green trail to the rock formations. Dog Church and Rock Gate at Lishvy gorge, where we spend the night. The Dog Church is one of our most interesting rock formations; it is an underground space created by the artificial extension of the original overhangs.

Monday 7. 5.: Dog Church–Lysá skála–Jestřebí–Novozámecký pond–Koňský pond (25 km)

In the morning we will set off along the green trail under Over a high hill to the area of natural monuments Provodín stones, which is a group of seven neovolcanic peaks, the most prominent and well-known of which is Bald Rock, also called Sleeping Mr. (419 m above sea level). We climb Lysá skála, from where there is a beautiful view of the entire area Jestrębe Basin, which we will head to. We will continue along the green trail to Provodín and from there to Jestrebi to the national nature reserve Novozámecký pond, which was declared on an area of 357 ha to protect 220 species of birds. We will follow the red trail along the edge of the Novozámecký pond through Long comb up to the village Gardenswhere we will visit the settlement Karba; from here we will continue along the blue trail to DutchFrom Holany we will follow the red trail through  Holanské ponds – Holanský, Milčanský, Hrázský, Dolanský and Nebeský – up to Horse Pondwhere at the foot of the rock Grim Reaper We are staying overnight.

"I couldn't sleep at night. I went out into the forest and slipped under the surface of the Horse Pond before the partridges came, and lay down within sight of a rock called Smrtka, a low stone wedge driven into the water, with a convex overhang resembling a skull bent in thought. ... I fell asleep to the singing of birds, which penetrated me muffledly under the surface, and woke up when they got tired for the first time that day, ..."

Miloš URBAN (Hastrman)

Tuesday 8. 5.: Koňský rybník–Stvolínky–Ronov–Blíževedly–Ostré–Kalvárie–Ustek (16 km)

In the morning we will walk around the Horse Pond following the red tourist trail to the village. Stvolínky, which is located on the border of the Ralská pahorkatina and the České středohoří Mountains, the Kokořínsko Protected Landscape Area and the České středohoří Protected Landscape Area. From here we will continue along the red trail to the top of the basalt cone Ronov (552 m above sea level) with the ruins of the Gothic castle of the same name. From Ronov we descend along the red trail to the village Closer to home and from there we will continue over the castle Shaft except for the Baroque Calvary near Ostrý with a magnificent view of the dominant mountain of the western part of the Bohemian Central Mountains SeatFrom Kalvária we will go down the road to Úštěk, from where we will return to Prague by train.   

"I believe that a lot of good would come from a change in attitude if tourists became pilgrims again."

Rupert SHELDRAKE

CONNECTIONS

Prague – Liběchov / Saturday, May 5: BUS from the Prague Ládví stop: departure at 7:30 – transfer in Mělník and Štětí – arrival in Liběchová at 8:54 or at 8:00 arrival at Liběchová at 9:01

Úštěk – Prague / Tuesday, May 8: TRAIN (main station) departure from Úštěk at 11:11 (via Lovosice) – arrival in Prague hl.n. 13:08 departure from Úštěkavy 13:11 (via Litoměřice) – arrival in Prague hl.n. 15:00

Contact and further information

• Jiří Zemánek, email: sarvanga@centrum.cz, mobile: 777 117 466
• Tomáš Hrůza, email: tomashruza@gmail.com, mobile: 775 052 607
• Barbora Kinkalová, email: B.KINKALOVA@seznam.cz, mobile: 776 123 969