CZ: Doupov Mountains – Elves Cliffs

After we visited the Angel mountain village on Slavkov Forest with the ruins of a Gothic castle and charming Šemnickou rock have left him and went to Doupov mountains. These mountains were originally Tertiary volcano, which at the time of its activities alternate with outpourings of lava eruptions, spewing volcanic where pyroclastics. Over many, many years, they were upset by numerous eroded the overall processes, resulting in a landscape of Doupov mountains such as we know it till today. Fort highest mountain Hradiště, which is called the same as the local military training area, has an altitude of 934 m.

On the way along the red trail leeds by enchanting forest, we could still enjoy looking back on Šemnická rock from which we have just looked down into the surroundings. Our ultimate destination (if I don’t count our turn back to car in Angel Mountain) were Goblin Cliffs. But before that, we wanted to visit a local pub to get the atmosphere of the place from the perspective of society. We decided to find something in the village of Dubina, situated on the bank of the river Eger, from which is not far to Skalky. Indeed, on a map by which we focused, were in this village location plotted two brands representing a pint of beer, a pub. Both the pub we found, both were closed at the moment. Wine cellar with a restaurant Near Peter, who we liked it from the outside, was opened up to three hours, about half an hour. Because we did not want to wait the fact decided that Goblin Cliffs will have priority before the pub. When we scrambled a moment later the beech stand in a very steep hill (to save you quite a long walk around the other side, where he led the footpath), we were very pleased that circumstances have forced us to organize this program. After a snack with beer or wine, we climbed some much worse. Once we got to the top, we tumbled on a log, drank and ate chocolate Milano. Then we started looking around, where the elves are the Cliffs. No rocks we saw everywhere was just beech forest and the footpath leading somewhere. So we lifted our bones from the logs and set off along the way, until we finally found a brand that we directed the piece of stone steps below, where he waited on us the desired Goblin Cliffs.

And what are they the Cliffs of elves? This is stiff a lava flow whose peculiarity is the presence of different sizes, mostly relatively shallow holes/caves circular shape. It looks very interesting, but their origin is uncertain. One theory is that when the hot lava flowed through here, gathered with them trunks. They remain trapped in it, eventually rot away and left them only the cave. Another, slightly more abstract possibility is that some rock holes made elves, according to which the rocks were named. Hard to say. We have not seen any elf.

Once we enjoy in and took some pictures, started to think how to get down. Circumvent the hill trail, we did not want, so we chose the path straight down. I must say that it was not easy. Several times I missed the fallen leaves under my feet and I slid a few meters down before I somehow miraculously stopped. We left fell down really steep slope so that my left leg was almost fully loaded, while the right almost flew in the air. It was on the left hand quite a big rush, we soon had to begin to alternate sides. Eventually we got happily and contentedly down, and directed it straight to the restaurant for Peter, where it was opened and where we were greeted by a very nice pub, Mr., about Peter. He began to talk with us and we're offered a lot of goodies to eat as well as drinking. For example, pickled octopus, which, although at first glance seemed a bit menacing, but it tasted fine. With good meal and neat the fire time passed pleasantly.

Waste to speak - from the pub, we staggered to the middle of deep night. The Mountain Angels we had to walk ten kilometres long way. But the bright moon was shinning , almost full, so we do not need the lights and the way ran very fast. The Mount Angel of the car we took out everything we needed to stay overnight in the open air, and went looking for a suitable place. We found it nearby. It forms an ideal house with undercoat. We tried to have a fire so that we can bake sausages, which I brought for the occasion, but it was so wet that we did not, so we are sitting by the fire instead of delving into warm sleeping bags. We soon fell asleep happily and hard and woke up sometime before noon in the middle of an impenetrable fog. Not for anything, we did not want to get out of the warmed bed, so we spent another hour in a pleasant atmosphere, illustrating that playing the guitar. That day we had no other place in the mountains Doupov visited, but I'm sure come back to this region, to discover more.

Text/photo: Kristýna Bartůňková