Tucked away among the towering rock formations and sandy pathways of Bohemian Switzerland—the national park on the northern border of Czechia—you’ll find a series of hiking trails leading down to a river.
Along that river, you’ll find an old abandoned mill, its stones jutting out from the rockfaces around them, its wheels rusted, its hidden corners reclaimed by the forest.
This is Dolský Mlýn. Or Valley Mill in English. And it’s a popular place to hike in for the day.
The mill dates back to at least 1515 and was abandoned in 1945. The hike in from Mezni Louka is about an hour and a half. And the spot is a popular one, so expect to share it with other tourists if you’re hiking in high season.
Still, it’s worth it.
Want to hike to the mill yourself? Start in Mezni Louka and follow the blue trail (locals can point you toward it and the trail is marked with blue painted markers). When you get to the cemetery, continue straight and downward (that was the one place the marker was unclear to us). Stairs carved into the stone will lead you through an incredible canyon down to the mill.
If you’d like a longer hike, you can start from Hrensko (like we did), following the road to where two hiking trails lead off on either side. The trail to the left goes to the largest sandstone arch in Europe (another worthwhile trek for another day) and the trail to the right should say Mezni Louka, 5 km. Follow the trail to Mezni Louka and you can pick up the blue trail from there.
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All photos taken with my Sony a6000.
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2 comments
It’s really a magical place! I would love to go there! Thanks for the pictures, they’re beautiful!
Wow! Those photos look like something out of “The Princess and Curdie”!