Evening all
I was on the same 'mid-morning' train which I caught last time. That's the 0603 not the 0445, which I tell myself means that I can have more sleep. I am always grateful for small mercies.
The map has been edited to include Week 11.
Scores on the doors.
Starting point: Nedvědice
Time from home: 3h 57m
Number of trains caught: 3
Distances from: Prague: 176km Brno: 40.2km Vienna: 165km Bratislava: 176km
Ending point: Tišnov
Time from home: 3h 6m
Number of trains caught: 1!
Distances from: Prague: 189km Brno: 24.9km Vienna: 150km Bratislava: 160km
Distance for the day: 24.2km
Total distance travelled: 312.1km
Equivalent distance in the UK: London-York (well London-Fulford, but near enough)
It always amazes me the number of people who are up at this time on a Sunday morning.
You will remember from last time that Pernštejn Castle will be our first destination, so here we go.
The first thing you notice is that the castle is closed! Looking at it, it's closed for the season. Back 29 March 2024.
This car park - empty because the castle was closed - had been planned to be the place where I took close up pictures of the castle. Plan foiled - no view of the castle as it's on a cliff. On we plod.
A Mother and Child painting on the cliff edge. As you do.
I'm attempting to convey just how high up this thing is.
That's as close as you get on a day when the castle is closed. I'll be back next year to visit when it is open.
It's hard to describe. The castle gives the overall impression of having been created by AI.
Back to reality with a bump - I've been walking 85 minutes and I've travelled the sum total of 150m. Ho hum.
The same spectacular mountainside as last time.
First village. That's a manhole cover, not a pothole.
Just a few logs for the winter.
Cow and calf.
A sign of approaching civilisation - a petrol station in the countryside. The last one was a number of trips ago.
Contrary to appearances, we are not in Croatia.
It's pretty, but not as pretty as its Croatian equivalent.
We leave Doubravník, the railway and the river, and head uphill. For the first time since leaving Prague, we have no yellow signs to guide us. Route 1 has followed the river, and Euro Velo 4 has no signs in this area. Quite why we didn't follow route 1 and go a few extra kilometres is beyond me...
...but the view back to Doubravník is very pretty.
The colour contrast in the colour of the trees really is beautiful.
I partcularly love the larch trees, being the only local deciduous conifer (at least that I know of).
After our brief visit to Croatia, we visit Kazakhstan.
We leave the main road (at long last...), cross the river...
...and rejoin the railway.
A nice new path makes a pleasant change from the main road.
We still have the amazing steep hillside on the edge of the valley.
The rock from the hillside looks like it might be joining us on the path soon...
...or maybe ending up in the river, as it seems a few of the rocks have here.
As we approach Tišnov, we go under a real railway with overhead wires...
For the first time since Prague, the route is closed. You might be able to see that they are building houses in the distance. It means a 2km detour.
However, the detour did mean that I had this rather wonderful view in the late evening sunshine.
As well as this rather scary walk on the side of a main road.
Not for long though - we were soon back to this country path.
An example of South Moravia being different - a white sign (rather than a yellow one) for a cycle route.
Arriving in Tišnov, a bus on a Sunday. That's something which we haven't seen, rail replacement buses aside, for many weeks.
The next instalment won't be until mid-January. In the next episode of Walking with Sergeant:
- we finally reach Brno
- we visit a villa named after a British politician
- we visit a castle named after an American film director
- we note the difference between the Prague and Brno astronomical clocks
Until then, good night all.
