Winter trip to Ostrov

Děčín is one of the greenest cities in the Czech Republic and it literally takes only a few minutes to get from the city centre to the forest. We appreciated this again during our winter expedition. We went via Děčín Sněžník to Ostrov and for the ascent to Sněžník we chose a less known route...

In Bynov in Na vyhlídce street we joined an atypically marked (yellow and white stripe) route, which you won't find in the maps. (You can get to Bynovo, to Na Vyhlídce street, from Děčín by bus number 218.)

As the altitude increased, so did the snow.

The route takes you directly to the lookout tower. The last tens of metres, where you have to weave along the rocks, are among the most beautiful.

A few more steps and we're up!

Sněžník in winter dress. This view will never get old!

From the lookout tower, where it is possible to refresh yourself in the buffet under the tower or in a nearby restaurant, we continued along the red tourist trail. This photo is from the Dresden viewpoint.

From Sněžník to Ostrov, the journey was pleasant. No wonder, it's almost always downhill. In Ostrov, a frozen pond was waiting for us.

We needed to replenish our forces in Ostrov. The restaurant Pod Císařem was closed, we found refuge in the Hotel Ostrov. Of course, it is possible to spend the night here if you plan a two-day trip like we did. We wanted to enjoy the winter nature as much as possible, so we decided to spend the night in the forest.

Legend has it that if a woman washes in this well (Zehrnborn), she will grow younger. We replenished our water supply here.

The next day we wanted to continue along the Forest Trail Forststeig direction Kristin Hrádek, from there to the crossroads Pod Koňskou hlavou and further along the red road. However, we had a little extra money (who would want to get out of a heated sleeping bag when it is freezing outside), so we changed our plan for time reasons and took the shortest route towards Bynov.

Follow the red hiking trail to the village of Sněžník, then follow the green trail and finally follow the unmarked trail to Bynovo.

The last kilometres above Bynovo. In total we were on the road for 27 hours and we enjoyed the winter landscape! Sněžník is not a mountain, Labské sandstones are not the Giant Mountains, but it is still really cold here - at least for a few weeks a year.