Sightseeing trip through Valečov Castle and Drábské světničky

A trip in the Bohemian Paradise through Valečov Castle

Starting point

A small parking lot near the playground in the village of Dneboch.
 

Description of the hike

From the parking lot at the playground in the village of Dneboh we followed the blue tourist trail, which first leads along the asphalt road. However, we soon left it and followed the path into the forest. Here we came across sandstone rocks for the first time. The path climbs gently up to the village of Zásadka. Beyond it we came out on a meadow, from which we could already see the ruins of Valečov Castle. We did not go to the castle itself this time, as we had been there on our previous visit.

Therefore, we continued along the trail to Valečovské světničky. Of course, we explored them thoroughly. After that we continued on the red trail. This leads partly through meadows, but most of the route goes through the forest. A steeper climb awaited us when we finally reached the ruins of Klamorna Castle. It is located in massive rock blocks. From their upper edge there are beautiful views of the surroundings. We had a small accident here with our dog, who fell into a crack between the rocks. Fortunately, he was saved by the fallen branches, leaves and pine needles that filled the crack. Otherwise he would have crumpled 15 metres below us.

After this great experience, they continued their journey. We backtracked a bit and followed the unmarked path to join the tourist path leading from the Na krásné vyhlídce restaurant. Again we turned off to the viewpoint on the rocks. This time, however, we were very careful where we stepped. We had plenty of time and the weather was perfect, so we could enjoy the views in peace. Although there was a bit of Saharan dust in the air, we could still see the Krkonoše Mountains, Ralsko, Jested and more. Then we continued towards Drabské světničky.

These have been closed for a few years now, so we continued straight along the blue trail back to the village of Dneboch. The descent is very steep but attractive. At first you go through narrow passages between the rocks, then the descent is made easier by steps made of logs. The paid parking lot was full of cars. However, we continued through the village back to our car at the playground. Here, some of the expedition had a good time and then we headed to our accommodation.
 

Difficulty

A simple hike along forest trails, varied by sandstone rocks. The elevation on the route is not great, the steeper ascent is only to the ruins of Klamorna Castle. On the other hand, there is a steep descent from Drábské světničky to the car park. The hike is ideal with children or a dog.
 

Water availability

Refreshments are in the village Zásadka, and at the castle Valečov. Otherwise we had about 1,5 liters per person.
 

Sleeping options

The Bohemian Paradise is full of accommodation options. There is a guesthouse in every village. We had accommodation in the village of Zdar.
 

Mountain peaks

The route does not go over any peak. The views are great from the upper parts of the rock blocks - at the ruins of Klamorna and at Drábské světničky.
 

Danger

The journey itself is completely trouble-free. It is on forest paths. The problem is the rock blocks. There are no railings on them, so you have to be very careful on the edge of the rocks. There are also cracks between the rock blocks. It happened to us that our brave dog, who has climbed many mountain peaks, fell into one of these cracks. Fortunately, the crack was invaded by branches, leaves and pine needles. Therefore, he did not fall all the way down and I was able to pull him out of the crack and everything turned out well.
 

Food

Refreshments are at the Valečov Castle. Pub in the village Zásadka. There is no cooking here, but they have some potato chips.
 

Attractions

One of the attractions of this trip is the Valečov rock flats. The servants of Valečov Castle originally lived in these carved rooms in the sandstone rocks. In total, there are 28 rooms. After Valečov Castle was abandoned, the rooms became a home for the local poor. At the end of the 19th century there were still about 30 inhabitants. They had to move to the surrounding villages in 1892. However, the inhabitants refused to obey the order and had to be evicted with the help of the gendarmerie. The little worlds were then destroyed so that they could no longer be used for housing in the future.