We arrived at Varvažov in the late afternoon, so we did have time for only a short ride around. The goal was to see the castle Zvíkov from across the Orlík reservoir, the largest hydroelectric dam in Czechia. The plan to follow the red tourist mark, called Sedláčkova stezka, was not realistic. At point 4 it was clear that at this point we are not going to join that path. After point 6 you will see the gate that was obviously meant for cars and not bikes (our interpretation), so you can continue. Do not miss the turn to point 8. The ride down to 8 is challenging, but the views of the lake are worth the trouble.
At point 9 we could try the red mark again, but again decided against it. After crossing a very muddy ditch at point 10, we used the easier path through 12 and 13 to join the red mark just before point 14. There you can see Zvíkov through the dense forest at several points. And then after 16 just pedal back to Varvažov.
We will definitely come back here to ride a longer loop including the visit to castle Zvíkov, called “the king of Czech castles”. You can add this side trip easily by joining bike path number 31 when crossing route 121 between points 13 and 14. After your visit, you will understand that this was the best-placed castle in the whole country. A visit to the nearby castle Orlík is also worth considering. That castle is owned by the Schwarzenberg family since 1717. Presently the owner is Karel Schwarzenberg, a famous politician and almost a president of Czechia.
https://en.mapy.cz/s/gekakumoco, 16 km, 200 m elevation gain. To see this ride in context, check our interactive maps. If you will ride following this map, please, let us know if there are any changes since we reported this ride.
