Finally a long planned trip to my home country, even though the beautiful Moravia doesn’t feel like home at all. However, the hills of Hostýnské Vrchy are where Maarten’s grandparents live and and its pleasant rural surroundings are a bonus.
I biked here many times in the past but there are still places I haven’t visited yet, such as the ruins of Obřany Castle hidden at the top of a very steep hill.
While Maarten amused himself by feeding deer and wild boars with děda, the hunter, Rob and I were puffing through the still wintery copper beech woods up the Obřany hill.
It was worth the climb even we were already tired after hours of hiking on the ridge. The information board showed how beautiful this castle used to be in its heyday. Being built without Margrave's permission it only existed for less than one century. For the romantic soul, according to legend, the castle was taken by the devil together with its cruel castle lord.
Unfortunately it started to rain when we got here. The rain quickly gained strength and made the remaining kilometers less pleasant. We were hoping for a warm drink at the pilgrim's hill of Svatý Hostýn, but it was closed probably for the off-season.
Neither my mom nor Milan could understand that despite the rain we wanted to make our trip to the nearby Slovak Carpathians.
Nevertheless, I believe, if you always wait for a good weather forecast, you will never get anywhere.
Maarten was happily getting all his grandparents’ attention again, so we could head out for some more strenuous hike. Without any difficulties, as expected, we found our destination, the Súľovské Skaly.
Despite the fog and drizzle the rock formations were spectacular. Erosion of the limestone and dolomite rocks formed this current fantastic shapes, various towers, walls and even windows.
For the very first time I saw the purple blooming Poniklec Slovenský (Pulsatilla slavica)!
After the yesterdays hike the easy ‘Náučný chodník’ (Educational Trail) should be exactly what we were looking for.
I thought to be able to read and understand Slovak language, but! I’ve learned there might be some important nuances. Like my perception of the Slovak word ‘chodník’. Compared to its Czech meaning ‘an easy path’ it simply means ‘a trail’!
The rocks paths were slippery and some ascent very steep with a quick elevation gain equipped with handrails and ladders. We truly praised ourselves for not bringing Maarten here.
The picturesque ruins of the Súľov Castle were one of the highlights. I must admit I didn’t dare to climb into the accessible tower. It was too narrow and I felt claustrophobic.
Reading the little information sign about the death of a young mother and her 2 years old son, who were struck here by lightning in 2008, confirmed my weird feeling about the place.
I joined Rob waiting patiently in the rain on a meadow down the ruin from where we continued this Educational Trail. At least that’s what we thought. We ended up on an unknown road kilometers away from our car!
However, we have learned something about the ways of hiking in the Slovak mountains. That may become useful in the future since we hope to come back soon!
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