Železné Hory or Iron Mountains is about two hours east of Prague and not too far from the more touristy town of Kutná Hora (known for its old silver mines). These mountains are not particularly high which made our ride quite easy and relaxed through the forests.
We did this ride in September when most of the smaller refreshment stands that cater to hikers and bikers were closed. However, we find a place that served a good lunch at the Kongres Hotel Jezerka which I would consider staying at next time if we went overnight as they had a variety of saunas and wellness options. I definitely would consider the returning to the Seč Reservoir to swim in the summer with plenty of beaches and clean water. We also came across a small Jewish cemetery with views of the lake, although I believe most of the cemetery had been relocated somewhere else. In fact I think the whole area has plenty of things to do such as visit the castle ruins of Vildstejn, Oheb or Lichnice, or castles Třemošnice, Hoješín, Klokočov or Seč.
Our ride began in the town of Třemošnice which was known for both ironworks and the limestone quarry’s nearby and has a very industrial feel to it.
Our trip ended in the Hedvičina Valley which is quite beautiful with a stream running through it. You will see a huge building which is the family run Kovolis company. For two hundred years they’ve been in business and are known for aluminum castings worldwide.
There are several points where you should pay attention to your riding, or avoid riding and prefer walking the bike. The first is between points 2 and 3. It is rideable, but it is coming after sharp turn left and you should be ready to fight bad surface road straight uphill. If you will take the shortcut from 5 to 6, you will be going in the wrong direction of the one way street. The real test of your skills and nerves comes between points 8 and 9, where are several stretches completely unrideable. You can avoid this part going from Hoješín to Klokočov on the road and then continue on yellow tourist mark to point 10. You will have to cross the bridge over Chrudimka (see the pictures below), so be ready to carry your bike upstairs. At point 10 you can decide to ride along blue tourist mark to the left (but we did not “wet” this option, so cannot comments on that choice), or you can continue on to join cycling route number 4115 and follow it to point 12. We have chosen a shortcut from 11 to 12, which was bikeable, but very tiny easily missable not often travelled path. After this point the ride is a smooth sailing back to Třemošnice.
https://en.mapy.cz/s/bokajerusa 31 km with 550 m elevation gain
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