Tour of Hřídelecká Húra

If you come to Hřídelka on a narrow road from Chotče, a nice view of the whole village „stuck“ to the small hill of Malá Horka will open up at the last moment.

Even in Hřídelec you will come across a couple of nice timbered buildings.

Although a red tourist path leads through Hřídelec from Lázně Bělohrada to the remains of the Mokřice fortress deep in the woods, no marked path leads to the quarry in the Malá Horka volcano. In places where the main road turns sharply in a northwesterly direction, turn right at the house under the volcano onto the footpath leading to the quarry. You can walk here after a few tens of meters. It can be seen right from the start that the volcano must have been much higher than it was almost completely mined. Right in the middle of the quarry is a fireplace and grass – an ideal place for a summer bivouac.

Trees and shrubs fight for survival on the steep walls of the quarry. It can be seen that due to erosion, sometimes some of them lose their fight.

There is a quarry in almost every volcanic hill in Český ráj and Podkrkonoší, but this one in Malá Horka is interesting for its caves and climbing frames. If you are not afraid of weathered stones above your head, a short adventure awaits you while exploring these corridors.

The caves and climbing frames inside this former volcano are definitely not crumbs.

If you overcome a pile of rubble, you can climb inside the volcano to the next floor of the quarry.

Even from the first floor of the quarry, you would have to quite climb to the top of the volcano, so you'd better go back through the climbing frame, or more easily along the footpath. You will walk along the other side of the building, which ends directly in the volcano.

The trip would not be complete without climbing to the top of the volcano. Return to the road and continue uphill from a sharp turn for about 50 meters. Then turn onto a little noticeable path and climb to the top. Here, be careful not to fall deep into the quarry.

The view from the top is considerably limited by mature vegetation, which is a shame. Lázně Bělohrad and Byšičky can be seen through the branches. The relatively open view is to the west towards Hřídelec.