Although we didn’t visit the Loučeň Chateau in the village of Loučeň, it seems we need to go back to see the chateau which is surrounded by a large English park and has recently been enriched by a unique European feature – a set of 12 labyrinths and mazes. However, we did find a perfect parking lot in Loučeň for 50 Kč. On your way you would be passing through the village Jabkenice where Bedřich Smetana, probably the most famous Czech composer, spent the last years of his life. At the point 4 you will be riding along the Smetana museum in the house where he actually lived.
We ate our lunch in the town of Dětenice in a place we’ve been a few times before in the Medieval tavern Dětenice. When you walk in, don’t expect to see much because there is barely any light. You will feel like you are in medieval times for sure. The waiters will be talking to you in the very rude Czech, but don’t worry, it is the part of the authentic medieval experience. For a program of their events go to https://www.krcmadetenice.cz/stredoveka-krcma/stredoveky-program/. We did just miss the outdoor jousting show when we arrived cold and hungry on our bikes.
Riding through the forests between Loučeň and Dětenice was only complicated by the fact that it was a day after quite heavy rains and roads were a little muddy (in some places a lot muddy). The part of the regular road between point 5 and Dětenice is very bumpy. After point 8 you may be asking yourself whether we seriously drove through that muddy road. Yes, we did and it was not as bad as it seems. You have to pay good attention between points 10 and 11, where the path is very narrow and slippery.
When you will be passing through point 2 on your way back, you may decide to cut your trip short and go back to start using the green mark path turning to the left before reaching point 20 (we did that because we were freezing too much at that point). Otherwise you can continue through the little loop of 20 to 24 and ride through Loučeň to the finish (we cannot comment on this piece since we did not ride it).
https://en.mapy.cz/s/jefadolano 48 km 300 m elevation gain
