017 – Javorníky Mountains Beautiful ridge from Pulčín to Kohútka 1st November 2017
Wallachia is the kingdom of bikers. You can cycle everywhere even throughh nature reserves. Some marked cycle routes are so difficult that only Wallachian bikers can handle
them. Biking along the ridge of the Javorníky Mountains is a bit more difficult, but the reward for the effort is the beautiful view of the neighboring mountains. At the end
of the journey the excellent blueberry dumplings are waiting for you.
The film is in Czech with English subtitles
Wallachian Ridges
All cyclists will find something to do in Wallachia. For those who don't want to climb hills, there are easy asphalt cycle paths,
for example, along the Bata Canal, along the Vsetín Bečva valley from Vsetín to Makovský Pass or along the Rožnovská Bečva valley from Valmez to Prostřední Bečva.
Those who want to experience more than boredom on the asphalt head for the ridges.
There are several amazing ridges - on the peaks of Vizovice Hills, Javorníky, Vsetín Beskydy and the highest Moravian-Silesian Beskydy.
The length of the ridges is up to fifty kilometres, but if you don't get a lift from your destination, you have no choice but to drive half of the ridge and come back
along the valley cycle path. For crazy cyclists, there is the so-called Vsetín Horseshoe, which means setting off from Vsetín at dawn, from Pulčín to complete the whole
Javorníky ridge to Makovsky Pass and ride back to Vsetín along the ridge of the Vsetín Beskydy. It's an estimated 120 km in more difficult terrain and who
can make it back to Vsetín in broad daylight is the man to beat.
Bethlehem Horní Lideč
Opportunities for other than sporting experience here Unfortunately, it often rains in Wallachia. But you don't have to despair. You will find more than enough opportunities
for other than sporting experiences here. It's worth a visit
Bethlehem in Horní Lidec. The village lies in the valley that separates the Vizovice Hills from the Javorníky Mountains.
The beautifully illuminated nativity collection is located on an area of 170 m2,
samotný betlém má plochu 50 m2. Čtrnáct řezbářů vytvořilo dřevořezby čtyřiceti nejzajímavějších míst Zlínského a Trenčínského kraje, například Hostýn, Velehrad, hrad Buchlov, zámek Buchlovice, Radhošť, Trenčínský hrad, zámek Bojnice atd. Část betlému je vyhrazena také dřevěným stavbám z Horní Lidče. U miniaturních staveb stojí 75 pohyblivých figur. Součástí návštěvy betlému je i filmová projekce, kde za doprovodu lidové hudby uvidíte místní lidové
zvyky. Těžko popisovat, zážitek je skutečně jedinečný!
Balaton in Nový Hrozenkov
The place from where you start your journey can be Horní Lideč, neighbouring Lidečko with its stunning sandstone Devil's Rocks, or any of the villages
in the valley below Javorníky. We start from Nový Hrozenkov. There, for a change, is the best bathing far and wide.
In the Balaton sandpit, that was created during dredging
material for the construction of the Karolinka dam. There is a sandy beach on the shore of the Balaton with kiosks and sanitary facilities built in the spirit of Wallachian architecture.
The best of the refreshments are right at the entrance to the Balaton. For beer I recommend the phenomenal Cyril's potato chips, you can't buy better anywhere. The kiosk belongs to Katka and Radim,
and I look forward to hearing more of Radim's amazing biker stories. Like the one about the Wallachian ogaz riding down from Makita to Papajský
"...The slope is so steep, you mustn't brake or you'll fall." When you see the root trail from Makita with your own eyes, you will understand that the descent can be attempted
only an extremely mentally tough individual can attempt the descent. Because it's pure suicide. The Wallachians are great!
Cycle path Bečva
I'm not a fan of bike paths because they are boring, don't lead to very interesting places and get a lot of pedestrians and skaters on them. Plus, I think
years from now, when the grants to build them run out, there will be no money to maintain the asphalt surface and the trails will start to deteriorate. Cheaper to maintain and more pleasant
for riding would certainly be paths with natural gravel surfaces, but they would have to be designed by the cyclists themselves, not county officials. However, for fast
For quick relocation, the trails are good and we will use a part of the Bečva cycle path to get from Nový Hrozenkov to Huslenky, from where we will start to climb the Javorníky ridge.
Cycle path Bečva has a total length of 150 km and consists of three sections -
From Makovský Pass to Vsetín, from Horní Bečva to Vsetín and from Vsetín to Tovačov.
I am pleased to say that a large part of it runs off the main roads. Still, we prefer to go uphill, because we can ride on the flat in our region of Polabí.
Refreshments in Huslenky
The advantage of cycle paths is the number of refreshment stations. We'll take advantage of the fact that the main road we'll be crossing is
Restaurant u Pokorných
and we're gonna stop here for a while. They have the usual Czech (actually, Moravian classics here) - fried cheese, ermine and cauliflower for vegetarians and also dumplings
with an egg and cucumber, schnitzel, chicken five ways and mince. To drink, of course, Radegast and also siphon. Don't forget that it says cucumber and siphon
...instead of cucumber and soda water, so they don't look at you like you're from Prague.
Up into the hills to the Pulčín Rocks
We climb ten kilometres up the road following the blue marker. We pass through Zděchov, so far it's easy on the road. At the end of Zděchov, the asphalt ends and the rocky
forest road. Before we reach the top of the Radošov saddle, we will sweat a lot. If you feel up to it, you can try to climb the hill, but it is difficult. At the top after
the saddle is a nice view of the Javorníky ridge. The trail continues on to Pulčín Rocks. The outcrops of sandstone rocks stretch around Hradisko Hill and are abundantly
visited place.
In the Middle Ages, a castle stood on the highest point of the cliffs, but only the steps carved into the rock have survived to this day. In the past, the rocks were used
as a hiding place for bandits and, in times of raids from Hungary, as a hiding place for the inhabitants of the surrounding villages. The Pulčín Rocks are the largest rock town in the Moravian Carpathians.
In 1989 it was declared a nature reserve. The rock formations have poetic names - Zámčisko, Pět kostelů, Izby, Zkamenělý kostel, Ludmilina skála and Trtol.
Plučiny and Pulčín
In the Middle Ages, the village of Plučiny, which belonged to the guard castle of the same name, used to stand right under the rocks where the Dobrodějka well is located.
In the years 1500 - 1520 it is mentioned as deserted, just like the castle. Later, Plučiny was rebuilt on the opposite hill, where it still stands today.
The name Pulčín was given to the village after the war. I recommend a visit Restaurant 100 – DOLA, which is a rebuilt original Wallachian barn. They offer
classic Wallachian dishes and specialties from the grill. And they have nice rooms in the adjoining guesthouse.
Downhill on the ridge
Along Along the Hornolidečská magistrála,
which is a wide dirt road, we will get back to the Skaličí crossroads, from there we will take a forest shortcut to the red marker and follow it until
to Kohutka. Although we will go along the ridge, it is not flat, but the climb is more pleasant than the one from Zděchov. By the way, in the forest above Zděchov we heard
a bear in the distance, so be careful. At the crossroads we met a mushroom picker, an elderly lady who has a daughter in Slovakia just over the border. And she said that the people there
had stopped going mushroom picking because the bears were overpopulating. So I don't know if the conservationists have gone a little overboard.
The empty Makyta
Through Šerklava, Butorky and Valašská Kyčera we go through dense spruce forest along the ridge to the saddle under Makytou. Behind Šerklava is a meadow with a nice view
of the White Carpathians. We are moving at an altitude slightly below 900 m above sea level. The road is pleasant, it leads along a footpath and most of the hills can be easily climbed. The forest is
crowded even in the middle of the summer holidays because there are no roads, no car parks and no pubs. It is a long walk from the nearest civilisation.
Makyta
is the highest mountain in this part of the Javorníky Mountains. The path up is full of roots and the slope is so steep that even on foot it is difficult to walk. Nevertheless, there is a marked cycling route.
That's why I like going to Wallachia so much. There are no prohibitions and you can choose your path according to your abilities. Makyta takes its name from the willow tree, which used to grow here in abundance.
which was called makyta in the local dialect. However, instead of willow, you will find a dense beech forest. There used to be a wooden lookout tower on the top, but it was long ago taken away by the
by time. Signs on the trees warn against the presence of wild beasts. You can meet wolves, lynx and bears. We'd better move on.
Hellish climb to Krkostena
The descent to the Papajský saddle follows, during which we lose valuable vertical metres. Much of the trail is passable, but there are sections that we are afraid to even descend.
Especially with a child's bike harnessed with a tow bar, it's a real treat. In total, we have dropped 230 metres to the Papai saddle, which we will now miss,
when we climb the next hill with the poetic name of Krkostena. While Makyta is one of the highest peaks of the Javorníky Mountains, Papajské sedlo is, on the contrary, their lowest saddle.
We push our bikes a little over a kilometre to Krkostena, but it takes a hell of a long time. The whole ridge can be rounded from the right on a comfortable wide path, but we would be prepared
the beautiful views.
Sightseeing path to Kohutka
Now all we have to do is to cross the small Javorník and Kohútka and we are in the ski resort Kohútka. Along the way, beautiful views open up, especially in the northern direction to Vsetínské
and Moravian-Silesian Beskydy. When it is nice, you can see the ridges of the Jeseníky Mountains. From Malý Javorník towards the south we can see the Strážovské vrchy.
Fairytale blueberry dumplings at Kohútka
All the way we are looking forward to the specialty restaurant in Mountain hotel Kohútka - Grandma's blueberry dumplings steamed, served with cottage cheese and sugar,
drizzled with melted butter, which tourists from all over the area flock to. After the first bites, you'll know that the rumour is not true and that the local yeast dumplings
are among the best in the world.
Now all that's left to do is drive down through Vranča to Nový Hrozenkov. Of course, it could be done by off-road, but then we would have to go back a bit or continue
a few kilometres further along the ridge. But that was enough for today and we will settle for a comfortable descent from Kohútka along the road directly to Hrozenkov.
To Balaton. Next time we will pass the second part of the Javorníky Mountains. The higher one.
Refreshments along the way:
Huslenky - Restaurant U Pokorných, Zděchov - self-service, Pulčín - 100-DOLA, Kohútka - Mountain hotel Kohútka, Nový Hrozenkov - kiosk near Balaton
Route:
From Nový Hrozenkov along the cycle path to Huslenek - blue to Hradisko - red to Pulčín - Hornolidečská magistrála to the crossroads Skaličí - shortcut to the red -
take the red line through Šerklava, Butorky, Valašská Kyčera, Makyta, Papajská sedlo, Krkostěna and Malý Javorník to Kohútka - take the yellow and blue lines to Hrozenkov
Wallachia is the kingdom of bikers. You can cycle everywhere even throughh nature reserves. Some marked cycle routes are so difficult that only Wallachian bikers can handle
them. Biking along the ridge of the Javorníky Mountains is a bit more difficult, but the reward for the effort is the beautiful view of the neighboring mountains. At the end
of the journey the excellent blueberry dumplings are waiting for you. 
