Spring in the Slavkovský les

A 34.7 km three-day spring čundr across the Slavkovský les, from Lázně Kynžvart to Mariánské Lázně, then forest all the way past Tři křížky to Bečov and the St Maurus reliquary.

This spring weekend has a simple plan. You sleep two comfortable town nights around one long, empty forest day. The Slavkovský les is the quietest of the western ranges. Most visitors stay at the colonnades, which leaves the woods to hikers.

Day 1: Lázně Kynžvart to Mariánské Lázně

The first day is a warm-up. It goes through the forests above Kynžvart, past the old spruce known as the King of Spruces, and down into Mariánské Lázně. Arriving on foot into the spa bowl is the right way to see it. The local brewery and a hotel bed close the day.

Day 2: across the Slavkovský les to Bečov

After breakfast in town, the long day heads north into the plateau forests. Expect spruce, bog and empty forest roads for most of the day. The scene changes at the open serpentine country near Prameny. Tři křížky was my favourite place of the whole trip. Three crosses stand on a bare knoll with moor grasses around them, and I know no landscape like it anywhere else in Bohemia. From there the route turns east and descends the Teplá valley into Bečov nad Teplou for dinner and a bed.

Day 3: Bečov and home

Spend the morning with the reliquary of St Maurus in the castle. It is the country’s greatest goldsmith work after the crown jewels, and its rediscovery is a detective story of its own. Then the little railway takes you out of the valley towards Prague.