Through Karolina Svetla County
Another Saturday spent with the tourists - for the first time we tried the 33rd year of the tourist trace "Through the County of Karolina Svetla" and it definitely wasn´t the last one!
Saturday morning looks like we are going nowhere. It´s cold, lightly and then heavily raining, so we decide to delay our departure by an hour. Around half past nine it stops raining, so we go to pick up Doky whose thrill is indescribable :)))))
A charming little square and the lanes of nearby Cesky Dub are full of cars and tourists. The weather here is much better than at our place, so we sign up and find out, that due to our later arrival we have only two shorter tracks to choose - 8 or 13km. The note "Not suitable for bikes and baby-carriages" at the 13km trace profile promises some terrain and at least we don´t have to be in a hurry. The map and marking are very well done, the dogs are eager to go, so we set off on a road through a nice alley to Stary Dub.
We know the Jested region a bit, but have no idea how beatiful places we´ll see. The dogs are pulling like horses, so in a while we are in the village Stary Dub. We continue on an asphalt road to the next village and admire the lambs in the corrals and the stylish cottages. Everything around us is so incredibly green! We turn off the road and through the village with the various residents :o and on the path between the fields we slowly climb the hill Horka.
The way along the contour line is just marvelous! The narrow path, ingrowing fallen trees, humidity and green all around remind the virgin forest.
We and the dogs really enjoy this part and the first check point which awaits us on its end is no less pleasant. At the foot of the hill there are the rooms carved into the sandstone rock from 1873 - the scene of one of many Karolina Svetla stories. We cannot resist to offered sausages and while roasting them on the fire, we are listening to the story of one of the descendants of the family of the famous writer. It´s interesting, but a little bit chaotic :)))), so the rest of the sausage disappears in the Kazi´s belly and we go on.
The path leads us out of the forest to local golf course, through the village and another field road to the pine forest. Surprisingly we come across no deer, so the dogs can enjoy the freedom. Across the meadow behind the forest we enjoy the pleasant company of two men with the lively female dog of the Hovawart breed. The dog lady is wiling to play, so they are chasing each other around the meadow.
We go down to the Sobakov village and from the paddocks and the renovated stylish cottages with blooming gardens we suck in the spring country atmosphere.
On a quiet road and then again through the meadows and woods we are heading for the next check point in the former quarry. Besides the stamp into the map it´s possible to get here some food and to listen to the country band. Well, on this trip nobody starves, so we stay for a while and then it´s just a while to the Cesky Dub.
It´s a pity, that many people were discouraged by the forecast and morning weather, so there were only 400 instead of last year´s 764 participants. As for us, we were absolutely thrilled with the excellent organization and the track with the minimum of asphalt, that we definitely won´t miss the next year and will go for a longer distance.
Many thanks to Dokys for the pictures and for going with us despite a demanding extended training weekend which was behind them :)
