Unique Tajch country from the saddle

After a long time, the virus crisis somewhat subsided, so I got up and decided to give my old bike a spin. It had recently been driving only around the city - mostly to the grocery store and back. May weather was very nice, the forecast was partly cloudy and a little below 20 degrees, so all I had to do was choose, which beautiful corner of Slovakia to get to know better. I wanted to start the summer season in style, but I had to take into account my condition, which, after more than a month without much movement, lagged far behind my ambitions. There was no time for any big planning, so the choice fell on the relatively well-known Veľký Hodrušský circuit. It's not the easiest, but I believed I would make those 40 km, even if I had to crawl. I had no idea that I would end up like that, about that later though.

I left Bratislava around noon and headed in the direction of Žarnovica. In about an hour and three quarters I arrived in the typical Central Slovak village of Hodruša-Hámre, from which the circuit is usually started. I parked next to the town hall building as recommended by a blog I read before, pulled the bike out of the car, checked the equipment, and set off. Once I had chosen the starting point, it was only left to decide which way to set off. On one side a steep hill from the beginning, on the other a gradual but very long climb. No decision is a priori wrong and, like everything, both ways have their pros and cons. I chose a steeper hill at the beginning (I don't have much faith in my descending skills), although the author of the blog warned, that this direction is more suitable for more capable bikers. A group, where I certainly didn't belong with my current condition. As promised, the climb started sharply and with one entirely too short a break while crossing the meadow, did not stop until I clawed my way to the highest marked point of the route - Kerling.

I didn't study the map in advance too closely, which cost me a few "orientation" stops, as the markings were almost invisible or even non-existent at some intersections. Anyway, I managed to fight through difficult rocky terrain up to about 500 m below the top of the hill, where I had to surrender due to the elevation and push the bike for the steepest 50 m, until it evened out a bit. Sweat poured from me, but the beautiful views on Kerling were clearly worth it. Views not in terms of panoramic views from the Tatra peaks, but meadows, trees and peace. From this point on, I could look forward to a more pleasant profile. I stopped for a while, on the one hand to relax and replenish my energy, but also to enjoy the feeling when a person conquers the top and gets a well-deserved reward.

The next stage was, after the initial slightly steeper descent along a rocky forest road, up and down. A little bit up, a little bit down. Views to the other side of the hill opened, in the distance between the trees I saw the Castle Marcus and forests everywhere. Overall, I met almost no one in this part of the circuit, only a few cyclists who went in the opposite direction. However, this changed in the saddle of Červená studňa (Red Well), where it was almost impossible to move. In the nice weather, even the lazier people set off and, even if not for hiking, at least for some fresh air. At least that's what it looked like. Full of cars, motorcycles, dogs and a few bikes. I read a few interesting facts about Tajch reservoirs and quickly moved away. However, if you need to replenish your water, or relax and eat, this is the right place.

When I was leaving the Červená studňa "pit stop", I had no idea, that the most beautiful part of the road was waiting for me. But it did and it was well worth it. About 8 km long section along the contour line on a beautiful forest path as if from a fairy tale and without major bumps. Only me, the forest, the bike and the forest road, I flew and enjoyed the fresh air that surrounded me.

That was again followed by a section, where the road rose for a while and then fell for a while, the route led through meadows and forests and the views were mostly to the east. Here I met in addition to cyclists also some hikers, especially families with children. It was time to take in some fluids and sugar for energy, so I laid down in the meadow with a view and refuelled. The sun warmed my back pleasantly and managed to dry me out. The last part of the road remained in front of me, the descent down to the finish. However, I still had one planned stop at the Tajch waiting for me along the way. It wasn't warm enough for swimming, but according to photos from blogs, it should have been worth it. So I rolled down the hill until I almost missed it. I stopped for a while, took a few photos for the blog and recharged my mental energy.

Then just down, down and down the forest road. The whole descent requires full attention, I was almost launched out of the saddle once, when I took a little too long look at the forest around me. And probably for me to have something to write about, on the last meters of the descent ,I got a flat tire. Luckily it wasn't somewhere before a sharp turn at full speed and luckily again that it was only about 3 km to the finish. I didn't have a spare tire or a repair kit with me (I said to myself that I would risk it and of course ...), so I pushed the bike to the finish line along the least interesting part of the whole circuit - asphalt road into the village.

When I finally got there, I had quite enough, but satisfaction with the interesting day prevailed. If I should sum it up, then at the beginning a hard workout and then a reward in the form of beautiful nature and relatively empty bike paths in one of the most beautiful corners of Slovakia.

Your hiking guide in Slovakia, Tomas