| Ride a Bike from Karlovy Vary to Loket and Královské Poříčí - Riverside Cycle |
 Riverside Cycle Tour Main DetailsTrip Dates: Wed,Sat (April through October) Meeting Time: 11:45 am Departure Point: Karlovy Vary “Tržnice” Bus Stop (painted green) for long distance buses on Varšavská Street (placed between two crosswalks, the Market Hall being behind you) Tour Duration: 4.5 hours (approximately) Distance Covered: 41 km (18 km on your own) Price: 550 CZK per persons, 2 people minimum (1100 CZK) Admission fees to Loket Castle: 80 CZK, Bernard Grange Farm (during cultural events): 50 CZK are included. Tour overview (A part of Cycle Route 204) Begin cycling in Karlovy Vary-Doubí, after a 2 km ride along the Ohře River you hit (Jan) Svatoš Rocks. This unique granite rock formation of very unusual shapes is a refuge of rock climbers. The Hans Heiling legend (Jan Svatoš being a translation from German) offers an explanation of its origin. A young man named Jan Svatoš was given some supernatural powers by a water fairy under one condition that he would never get married. He was about to break his promise and therefore she turned the whole wedding procession into stone. Get on the suspension bridge appearing in front of you. Cross this swinging bridge over the waters of the Ohře River and follow a blue marked trail heading towards Loket up the river (or a yellow cycle route sign No.204, less frequently seen though). There is a 7 km ride waiting for you with a possible stop at the Loket Riverside Camp buffet on the way (about a kilometer before you reach the town of Loket) to buy some refreshments and relax for a while. Leaving the woods you get on the road going straight up to Loket. You will pass through a tiny parking lot with JW Goethe Statue on your right. Loket (elbow in English), is named after the extreme bend in the Ohře river. The main attraction of this fascinating town (pop 3,200) is its castle (Romanesque-Gothic) built in the first half of the 13th century. You can visit for example a torture chamber and climb a Romanesque tower. Watch out for the Loket Dragon (supposedly of a friendly nature). The view of the medieval town from there is well worth it. There is an open-air theatre bellow the castle, where a lot of cultural happenings take place during summer. There was an outstanding Jethro Tull concert in 2008 with their music found the most suitable for the castle surroundings as yet.  Once you have absorbed the beauty of this place, go back to the JW Goethe Statue (where you entered the town) and take a sharp left down just in front of it. (Notice cycle route sign No.204 on your left). This descending road then continues along the railway tracks. Turn left at the railway crossing and then hang a right passing the last building (the third) on your right. From this point on you will soon approach the river bank of the Ohře and ride your bike (not turning anywhere) for about 8 km before you exit the forest again. By coming out of the woods you have arrived in Královské Poříčí (pop 800). At the intersection go right and head straight up for 500 meters (along the sidewalk on your right). Make a left-hand turn just passing the town’s restaurant called “Královský hostinec” (The Royal Pub). You won’t miss a brown sign “Statek Bernard” (Bernard Grange Farm) ahead of you or a huge wall painting of it on your left. Enjoy the last few hundred meters before you accomplish your mission by getting to Bernard Grange Farm, a center of traditional crafts and cultural events. From there you will be driven back to K.V. I’m ready to make a booking or to arrange a custom tour   To view pictures, go to our photo galleryBook this tour or get a listing of Zone Trek tours |
