Safe Return Doubtful

Four years ago I finished the TransCarpathians course in the mountains south of Wrocław. That last section of the Carpathians is the Tatras range. In this trip, I am continuing west initially to the range called the Giant mountains in English, but known here as the Krkonoše mountains. The area I have been in this weekend is the Krkonoše National Park. They are the biggest range of the Sudeten mountains, and stretch horizontally from south-western Poland along the northern border of the Czech Republic into eastern Germany. I will be exploring them, heading steadily west, over the next few weeks, ahead of winter arriving; hopefully it doesn’t come early. 

I led a school outdoor course close to here in 2005 when working in Prague, but it was to the touristic area of Špindlerův Mlýn. 

After my traumatic laundry situation on a rainy Friday afternoon I found the excellent campsite at the equestrian centre in Ludvikov. I was the only person there, and having the facilities they offered I was able to get the laundry sorted, and give the van a bit of a tidy up. 

The owners recommended to me a hike from the nearby town of Hejnice. This was a loop that took in the peak of Ořešník at 780 metres. The little town was busy as there was a folk music festival in full swing. 

In the evening the owner asked if I was keen to walk the trail around his land, a four kilometre trail around the fields he kept his horses in. 

I spent two nights at Ludvikov then moved a few kilometres east to Oldřichov v Hájích and parked by a popular restaurant. Being Sunday it was soon busy with hikers and mountain bikers; it is only ninety minutes from Prague. It had been showery on Friday and Saturday but late last afternoon the cloud cleared for a cool night, down to 5C, and a fine day today with temperatures just into double figures. 

I was out for a couple of hours getting up to three rocky peaks, and in the descent spotting a place for the van for the night. I could have stayed at the car park, but it would have been busy until dark, and close to the road. Here at the back of Oldřichov village it is perfectly tranquil.