The Adrspach and Teplice Rocks

Many tourists who come to the Czech Republic only visit Prague and that's a pity. I realized this again when I went to the Adrspach Rocks with my family.
A quick google query showed there's not a particular wealth of information about the area in English - just some accomodation offers, and a site for climbers.

So maybe I can help by sharing my few bits of information.

The Adrspach and Teplice Rocks are one of the Czech Republic's most notable natural wonders. There are several thousand sandstone spires in an area that's less than 10 kilometres across.

If you are a regular tourist like me, you can choose between the Adrspach circuit trail and the Teplice circuit trail. In addition to this, the Adrspach section has a short circuit around a flooded sandpit and there's also a trail that connects the two circuits.


It is worth the time to take both circuits but if you need to choose only one, I'd recommend that you opt for the Adrspach circuit (entry at 50°36'55"N 16°7'22"E) as it is shorter (somewhat under 5 kilometers), the spires are denser there and the first half of the circuit is quite comfortable and accessible even with a stroller (you can go all the way to the Small Waterfall and take the same path back).

The Teplice circuit (entry at 50°35'41.61"N, 16°8'49.64"E) is longer, about 7 kilometers: 2 kilometers from the box office to the beginning of the circuit, 3 kilometers for the circuit itself, and 2 kilometers back to the starting point.

The circuit has one very interesting option - you can go up to the top of one of the sandstone spires. Be prepared for about 320 stairs, though. The first two thirds of the stairway are very comfortable but be ready for a ladder to get to the very top. The spire's name is Strmen and yes, the name can be difficult to pronounce even for the natives, almost something like this one. There was a castle at and around the top of Strmen during the Midle Ages, but very few remnants are apparent today. There's only enough room for about four people at the very top, but the scenic view is splendid.

If you would like to go so some less frequently visited places as well, I can recommend two more places:

• the Adrspach castle - the name is a bit misleading. It's not a castle but a hill where the Adrspach castle once stood. Be ready for a substantial uphill hike, but you will be rewarded with another splendid scenic view.
• Ostas - this is a table mountain with a sandstone labyrinth at the top. You can park at 50°33'26.08"N, 16°12'52.24"E and then simply follow the blue trail uphill. If you are a geocacher, there's a nice multi-stage cache at Ostas (GC13JAM).
  

Well, this wraps it up for today. If you find this blog post useful, leave a comment (maybe I will cover a few more places in the future).