Hoarfrost on Varhošť

A 23.8 km point-to-point hike from Ploskovice to Sebuzín along the viewpoints of the central České středohoří: Laffitova vyhlídka, the bare tops above Hlinná and the Varhošť tower.

The walk starts and ends at a railway stop: Ploskovice at one end, Sebuzín on the Labe at the other. I walked it at the end of November, when every tree was white with hoarfrost, and it is still one of my favourite days in the České středohoří. Late autumn is a good time for this route. Just start early. The light is gone by four.

From the stop you walk almost straight into the free park of the Ploskovice chateau. Then the route climbs out of the orchards into the woods. The first summit is Křížová hora. Laffitova vyhlídka sits just under the top and gives the best view of the first half of the day, with the Polabí and Říp below.

The middle of the route is quieter. The long wooded ridge of Dlouhý vrch runs north with barely a view, easy kilometres on the way to the open country above Hlinná. There the walking changes completely to bare grassy tops through the Holý vrch reserve and over Lysá hora, with long views in every direction. If you need a break, the village pub in Hlinná is ten minutes below the ridge. Otherwise there is no refreshment on the whole route.

The last hill is Varhošť, a short side trip off the ridge. The tower has a full-circle view, the best of the day, from Milešovka to Hazmburk, with the Labe below. Then comes the long descent to the river, nearly 500 m down to Sebuzín. The station is right by the water, with trains towards Ústí nad Labem and Litoměřice. In November this last stretch ends in the dark. Ours finished under the station lamps.