Cycling trip to Kozlovský kopec, Andrlův Chlum and Vrbice

As I said here before, I like cycling a lot. My tracks usually lead to one of three hills that are located in our region – Vrbice (455 m ASL) near Kostelec nad Orlicí, Andrlův Chlum (559 m ASL) near Ústí nad Orlicí and Kozlovský kopec (601 m ASL) near Česká Třebová. That’s why in June I decided that sometimes during summer holidays I must try climbing to all of those hills during one trip. Yesterday I managed to fulfill this resolution.

Main POIs Distance Max. elevation Min. elevation Total ascent
Kozlovský kopec, Andrlův Chlum, Vrbice 82.6 km 601 m 275 m 1245 m
Elevation diagram of the track

Elevation diagram of the track

I set out from my hometown Choceň (285 m ASL) at quarter past eight, going in the south-east direction to Sloupnice – along the very same road I used a few weeks ago during my trip to Znojmo. In Sloupnice I turned right to the cycling route 4145, leading all the way to Kozlovský kopec (kopec = hill in Czech). The 4145 route is one of the nicest I know, most of the time it goes along small (usually unpaved) roads and passes through picturesque villages of Vlčkov, Člupek, Svinná and Kozlov. The part between Člupek and Kozlovský kopec is a little steep, because on these 4 kilometers route ascends by approx. 200 meters.

Kozlovský kopec (601 m ASL)

Kozlovský kopec (601 m ASL)

At 9:55, 1 hour 40 minutes, 315 height meters and almost 25 kilometers after leaving Choceň I arrived to the top of the hill. There I had just a short break and after taking a few photos I left Kozlovský kopec, going to the north along the cycling route 4047. It’s also a beautiful one, at first it leads through the beautiful forest and then via villages Přívrat (a local “ski-resort”) and Řetová to Řetůvka.

From Řetůvka I started climbing up the steep road to the second hill I wanted to visit, to Andrlův Chlum. The ascent was quite tiring, but finally I managed to get to the top without bigger problems. There, once again I took some photos, refreshed myself and, after a few minutes long break, started descending down to Tichá Orlice river valley, to the town of Ústí nad Orlicí.

Andrlův Chlum (559 m ASL)

Andrlův Chlum (559 m ASL)

Ústí nad Orlicí is located at about 330 meters above the sea level, which means that I lost quite a lot of elevation – and there was still one hill ahead of me… Unfortunately, unlike the previous two hills, Vrbice is located to the north of Tichá Orlice and that’s why I had to cross its valley. From Ústí I went to the north-west up the hill to Orlické podhůří – Říčky and then continued via Dobrá Voda, Rviště, Rozsocha (saddle, 457 m ASL) and Velká Skrovnice to Lhoty u Potštejna – village that is located just under Vrbice.

Lhoty u Potštejna - road closed

Lhoty u Potštejna - road closed

However, there was an unpleasent surprise waiting for me – all roads leading to Vrbice were closed because of the car race Kostelecká rallye! Still, after 60 kilometers I just wasn’t ready to give up. I decided to take a detour and cycle to Vrbice along the forest route going around Vrbická studánka. As it later turned out, it was a great idea, since when I got to the roadblock in village Vrbice, firefighters let me continue because there was just a short pause between two stages.

So finally, at 13:26, after 5 hours and 65 kilometers I got off my bike at Vrbice lookout and could have my victory glass of beer (Bernard 11° for 22 Kč). Remaining 15 kilometers back to Choceň were very easy and I just enjoyed successful fulfilling of my summer holiday resolution…

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