Circuit through the greatest treasures of the Tribeč mountains

Skipping the highest peak of the Tribeč mountains would be a mistake, but climbing to its summit without visiting the peak of Veľký Lysec would be an even bigger one.

We start this adventure-filled hike at the parking lot in the village of Kostoľany pod Tribečom, where it is possible to park a car in a small lot. We recommend arriving early, as the parking lot is used by many people climbing to Gýmeš. Unfortunately, its area is insufficient for the number of visitors arriving by car. At the beginning, we walk through the village, passing a spring that, unfortunately, is not drinkable. We climb long stairs to the St. George's Church, which is a unique pre-Romanesque sacred building that you must definitely see. The church offers a great place for a short rest, as a long route still lies ahead of us.

We continue along the meadow, passing a cottage area along the way. The path is sometimes overgrown. We have this hill in sight all the time, which motivates us to reach the goal as soon as possible. The climb through the forest is neither long nor very steep. A great advantage is that during the hot summer temperatures, we are protected from the tree crowns while climbing.

A few meters before the saddle below Lysec, the slope increases. The path winds and gradually leads us right below the majestic rocks of Veľký Lysec. The section between the saddle and the summit is so far the most beautiful. We climb more intensively, and on some steeper sections, we hold onto trees. The path is lined with many blueberry bushes, which is a very rare case at an altitude of about 500 meters above sea level.

The summit of Veľký Lysec is formed by massive rocks resembling a rock city. At this moment, we enjoy fantastic views of the peaks/places of the Tribeč mountains - Ploská, Gýmeš, the ridge of Tribeč from Veľký Tribeč down to Javorový vrch, and even in the distance, we can see the Vtáčnik mountains.

Later, we again enter dense forests and traverse by forest asphalt road the Ploská hill (577 m) and Svinec hill (467 m). As it is currently May and after rain, the spring water-dappled forest looks magical. We perceive this enchanting atmosphere with all our senses. After a while, we join the Tribeč cycling ridge, from which we detach after about 500 meters. Until now, we have enjoyed a mostly flat route, but at this point, another climb awaits us. The forest road gradually leads us to two crossroads with a blue cycling mark until we later connect to the red hiking trail.

The final section to Veľký Tribeč is again interesting, passing rock formations and coniferous forest. We are at the summit and enjoy the silence that the surrounding forest provides. We feel like staying here for at least an hour without hurrying anywhere.

We continue with a descent along the red trail, which we will follow all the way to the parking lot in Kostoľany pod Tribečom. At first, the steeper slope puts strain on the knees, but later from the Babova dolina crossroads, walking becomes significantly easier. Only shortly after, a roe deer unexpectedly crossed our path, which certainly brightened our day.

At the Jedliny lodge crossroads, the landscape gradually opens up; we observe the ruin of Gýmeš castle, and walking back to the parked car is a bit happier.