Cycling through the Brdy in spring

Spring is in full swing, so this time we’re making an exception: we’ll be thinking of cyclists and offering them a proper stretch in the fresh Brdy air. This 36-kilometre ride alternates between climbs and descents, offering a pleasant ride through the woods, several scenic viewpoints and a ride through the open countryside of the Brdy region around Litavka.  

Where possible, we’ll stick to the marked cycle routes Nos. 302, 8190 and 8198, as well as the hiking signposts. We’ve chosen Březové Hory, near the Mining Museum (537 m), as both the start and finish. We’ll head down Třemošenská Street towards Litavka, cross the footbridge into Podlesí (1), join cycle route No. 302 and follow it all the way to Nové Podlesí (2), where we’ll leave it, and ride via Oseč to the U Vojáka junction (3) above Obecnice and onto cycle route no. 8198.

We’ll climb up to the Obecnice Pass (719 m; point 4), turn right onto the Buršovská forest track and follow it to the junction with Káňská Road (5). Follow Káňská Road to Čihadelská Road (6) and then down to Obecnická Road (7). Here, turn right and climb up to the Borské Saddle at the junction with Jeřábecká Road (8). We turn onto this path and pass just below the summit of Brdce (839 m), which offers some lovely views; at the junction at U Vojáka pod Brdci (9), we cross over onto Borská Road. We follow this path, initially on almost flat ground, to the ‘U břízy’ hut; from there, the route descends to the ‘U Obrázku’ junction (10) with the Planýrka, Zalánská and Andělská – on cycle route no. 8190 and the blue hiking trail. We’ll also head left along this path and, immediately at the next junction (11), turn onto Havelská cesta. Staying on the blue trail, we’ll reach Skelná Huť (12), which offers beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.

We’ll cross over onto Perkanská cesta and, continuing along the blue trail, climb a gentle slope to the Závírka ridge before descending to the Pilský stream. From there, we’ll follow the blue trail uphill to the U Pilské studánky junction (13). We follow the blue trail all the way to the junction with the Struhy forest track, just below the dam of the Pilská Reservoir (14). We turn onto Struhy and, following the remains of the irrigation canal, cycle all the way to Láz-Žernová (15). In Láz, the pleasant restaurant is open again, and some refreshments might come in handy.

We need to reach the turn-off (16) to the local hamlet of Kout (17), where a pleasant country lane begins, leading across pastures to Bohutín (18). There, we’ll first come to a footbridge over the Pilský stream and, shortly afterwards, the Plzeňka restaurant. We turn right and head down to a small village green (19). To avoid the dangerous stretch along the I/18 road, we’ll head underneath it (and within sight of the Litavka) through the local built-up area as far as Vysoká Pec to the former Rudolf mine with its tall concrete headframe (21). We’ll go round the mine from above and, following the small road, we’ll soon reach Vysokopecký Pond (22), where the Litavka Forest Park nature trail begins (or ends).

We rejoin cycle route 302 and follow it through the forest park to the 1. FK Příbram stadium. We cross the Litavka via the bridge, head up Ke Stadionu Street to Rožmitálská, but here we turn left onto Na Struhách Street towards Heyrovského. Passing the U Modré kočky restaurant, we turn into Jarolímkové sady and in a moment we’re back in front of the Mining Museum. After all that effort, we might not really be in the mood for a demanding tour of the museum, but the nearby restaurants will no doubt come in handy to reward our bodies for what’s been a fairly strenuous trip.

I wish you a pleasant journey without any punctures and full of wonderful experiences.

Pavel Čámský, Příbram Town Council