Hazmburk the Long Way

A 49.7 km point-to-point marathon dayhike from Roudnice nad Labem over Hazmburk to Louny.

This is a distance walk. You get nearly fifty kilometres of open lowland between two railway towns, with one proper hill in the middle. The terrain is never hard. You follow field lanes and quiet roads through the flat country along the Ohře, so the whole difficulty is in the length. Start early. March worked well for me, with cool weather and empty fields.

From Roudnice nad Labem the route leaves the Elbe and crosses west through Podlusky towards the Ohře. Doksany is the place to stock up. It has a shop, and there is not much else for a long way in either direction. Past Brozany nad Ohří the way continues through Chotěšov and Slatina. Hazmburk, the day’s one landmark, stays ahead of you for hours before you reach it. The climb to the castle is short and steep, and from the ruin you can see everything you have walked and everything still ahead.

Down the other side the route turns west through Třtěno and Mnichovský Týnec into low, bare hills. These are the southern outliers of the České středohoří, steppe country quite unlike the wooded core of the range. The final kilometres drop past Dobroměřice into Louny. Have dinner in town before the train home. I had mine at the Krušovická Šalanda, and after fifty kilometres I wanted nothing else.