An 11 km tour of the Kozlov rocks from Písečák lakes
- This walk starts at the car park beside the attractive lakes of Písečák, easily accessed from the D10 highway via the village of Příšovice. There is a good swimming spot by the car park.
- The route traverses the Kozlov rock region, which is one of the quieter areas in Český ráj, but has some very interesting rock formations as well as the mysterious rock castle of Kozlov (Chlum), with its well preserved cave rooms
- On the return journey the route passes through the village of Pohoří on the way to the fine lookout point of Bezděz
- This is a slightly longer version of the 8 km tour starting from Kacanovy, visiting the same places, but has the advantage of starting from an easier to access location, and offers an opportunity for a swim at the end of the walk. It does, however, require some walking on the road.
- Total walk length is 11.1 km with 260m of height gained lost. The path up to Kozlov castle is quite steep and can be slippery in wet weather. Otherwise all paths are easy and wide
“This walk traverses some of my favourite terrain in Český ráj, and yet it is one of the least visted parts of the region. The huge sandstone rocks below Kozlov, the view from Bezděz and the romantic pond of Vústra are some of the most magical spots in the region. You can even finish with a swim after return to Písečák!”
Directions
- Start and finish the walk at the small parking area next to the Písečák lakes, where there is a swimming spot and a refreshment area
- From the car park, take the YELLOW trail in the direction of Všeň, crossing the Jizera river and after 600m reaching the village of Ploukonice, where there is an attractive (pink) pub on the corner
- From Ploukonice take the main road towards Všeň, still on the YELLOW trail
- After 1.5 km reach Všeň, and turn up towards the church, passing it on your right, still on the YELLOW trail
- Conontinue through the forest, past the romantic Vústra pond, and then steeply up to the castle of Kozlov (Chlum), where there are some interesting rock rooms
- Continue on the YELLOW trail on steps up through the rocks, past the viewpoint and down to hill to reach the Podpohoří signpost after 1.3km
- At Podpohoří join the GREEN trail and continue up the hill for 400m to reach the village of Podpohoří
- Continue straight through the village until reaching the recently built Penzion Na Pohoři. Just after the hotel there is a signpost with directions to Vyhlídka na Bezděz
- Take this path to the Vyhlídka (viewpoint), which is reached after 200m
- Return back to the Penzion and continue back on the GREEN trail for 250m towards the village.
- Just before reaching the village take the green marked cycle path which leads after 1.7 km back to Všeň
- From Všeň return back to the Písečák on the same YELLOW trail as was taken for the outbound route. The car park is reached after 2.1 km
