Straight Up Bořeň

A short, steep 13 km hike over Kaňkov and up the Bořeň monolith, finishing at the Bílina railway station.

From the Želenice rail stop the route first climbs Kaňkov, the wooded hill directly opposite Bořeň. Take the detour. From the north-west Bořeň looks like a lying lion on the skyline. The hike is short, but it packs over 550 m of climbing, so it feels bigger than 13 km.

Then comes Bořeň itself. The trail drops to the valley and climbs the monolith directly. The upper section goes through the rocks of the nature reserve, hands out of the pockets. From the summit plateau you see all around, the Krušné hory across the basin, the Středohoří cones to the east and the mining country to the west. In autumn the steppe slopes turn gold and the light comes in low across the rock.

The descent ends in Bílina, with its square and railway station. Trains run towards Ústí and Most, and to Prague with one change.