Bohemian Switzerland Gorges

A 330 km loop

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Why this ride

A proper escape from Prague with roads worth waking up for. Out of Neratovice and back again: 330 km, roughly 5 h 25 in the saddle. On the way it passes Scenic stretch near Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav, near Netvořice and Dolní Břežany. near Kostelec nad Černými Lesy is the high point. The line favours views over speed.

Roadbook

1. Fuel stop in Neratovice fuel

   Fuel at 0 km.

2. Scenic stretch near Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav scenic

   The twin town of Brandýs nad Labem and Stará Boleslav faces itself across the Elbe, and each half carries a different kind of history. Stará Boleslav is where Wenceslas, the duke later venerated as Saint Wenceslas, was murdered by his brother Boleslav in the tenth century. Its basilica became one of the oldest pilgrimage sites in the Czech lands, and on 28 September, the national holiday, pilgrims still arrive in large numbers.

   Brandýs, on the other bank, is dominated by its Renaissance château, a favourite hunting seat of the Habsburgs, decorated with sgraffito and surrounded by gardens. The last Austrian emperor, Karl, lived here as a young officer. The old town square, with its arcades and colourful houses, is a lovely place for a break.

   The riding nearby is easy-going. The Elbe plain is flat, with long stretches of road between fields and riverside forests. The river is lined with floodplain woods and old meanders, home to herons and beavers, and in summer the air smells of grass and water. Further north, the land rises towards the sandstone country around Mělník and Kokořín, where the roads start to wind among rocks and pine forests.

   Traffic can be heavy on the main roads towards Prague, especially at rush hour, and the D10 motorway nearby is a fast but dull option. Prefer the minor roads, but watch for cobbles in the towns and uneven surfaces in villages. The town has plenty of fuel stations, supermarkets and restaurants, as you would expect from a place of almost twenty thousand people. Stop for a coffee on the square in Brandýs, cross the river to the basilica, and then head north towards the rocks and castles.

3. High point near Kostelec nad Černými Lesy pass

   This is where the road stops climbing.

4. Photo stop near Netvořice photo

   Photo stop near Netvořice, about halfway.

5. Dolní Břežany finish

   Back at Bohemian Switzerland Gorges checkpoint 8.

6. Food stop in Zdice food
7. Near Klobuky, on the way back swim
8. Back to Bohemian finish

   North of Prague the land flattens out and opens, and this point lies in the middle of that wide plain, right beside Neratovice on the river Elbe, which Czechs call the Labe. The Vltava joins the Elbe a few kilometres to the north at Mělník, so by the time you reach this spot you are riding through the heart of the Elbe lowlands, a broad, fertile basin where the soil is sandy and the fields are given over to vegetables and grain. It is a long way from the sandstone gorges of Bohemian Switzerland that the name suggests.

   Neratovice is a town of sixteen thousand, known for its chemical works, which dominate the skyline with pipes and chimneys. During the great floods of August 2002 the river swamped the plant and the town, causing a chlorine leak that became one of the more dramatic episodes of that disaster. The river has been calm since, but the memory lingers, and the levees you ride along now are newer and higher.

   The riding here is flat and fast, with long straights, gentle bends and few surprises. It is not a place for corners, but it is a good place to cover distance, especially on a clear morning when the light is clean. A headwind can wear you down, so pick your direction accordingly, and watch for slow farm machinery and cyclists on the many riverside routes. The villages around, Libiš and Tišice among them, are small and straightforward, and the old road bridges across the water are worth a look.

   Fuel is no problem, since Neratovice is big enough to have several filling stations and supermarkets, and there is the usual run of cafés and bakeries in the centre. If you want a break, the riverbank is an easy place to pull off and watch the barges and the herons. This is a plain, honest, working landscape, and it pays off more with each visit, once you have stopped expecting drama.

Where this sits

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