Author: Petr Gremlica | Monday 17.8.2015 Tips for Trips
In the hot summer days, one needs to escape the blaze of the city, freshen up, and unwind. All this is possible to do in the Kurovice quarry, where you can take a dip in crystal-clear water surrounded by beautiful nature.
Our trip starts in Kroměříž at the pedestrian bridge across the river Morava (Riverbank Erbenovo Nábřeží). The ride is about 13,5 km long which, on bike, should not take more an hour.
So just hop on your bike and go straight down the river, direction Kvasice, a small town about 9 km south of Kroměříž. The biking route is quite popular with Kroměříž bikers, inline skaters and runners.
Still in the town, the route crosses train tracks, so be careful here and continue towards the Kroměříž airdrome.
If you are lucky, you can see one of the local flying men just taking off :-)
At the crossroads by the airdrome turn left and be careful again as now the bike trail goes on a normal country road where you can meet cars.
In the locality of "Trávnické Zahrady" go just straight ahead.
For those who are tired already, there's a cozy kiosk with beer garden at the end of the village called "U Sosny".
Cycling route No. 47 from Kroměříž to Kvasice is quite popular especially with bikers and inline skaters. You can also meet some runners here.
Once you reach Kvasice, go across a little wooden bridge and you'll get to a village football pitch where you can see local guys in training or in a match!
But stick to the plan and continue onto the main road where you'll turn left. The road will take you to 2 km-far Tlumačov. Here again, watch out for cars.
In Tlumačov, turn left at the first big crossroads, direction Hulín and then, once you pass the church, turn slightly right and cross the train tracks.
Continue further, about 500m and you'll reach a concrete road which leads directly to the quarry. So let's go!
Until now, it's been an easy flatland ride. But now, the hills start.
Go under the highway bridge, and then up the concrete road all the way to the quarry's entrance.
The quarry has recently gotten a fence and entry is under a small charge. In my opinion, it was a good idea as there's now less people and those who go here value the site better. The sign at the entrance forbids loads of things such as:
camping, fishing, littering, entry with dogs, entry on motorbikes or even bikes. However, the guy at the entrance will allow you to take you bikes in. It's just that riding them is not allowed and that, in fact, is fair, I’d say.
Ticket prices are following:
The Kurovice quarry has a beautiful landscape and astonishingly clear water. It is a geological and paleontological locality with a presence of protected amphibians and reptiles.
The whole site is surrounded by rocks and trees which has a specific microclimate.
The water of the quarry is not always the warmest but if you plan your visit after a few hot days in the high summer, you can expect excellent temperatures. The access to water is through rocks so some of you may fancy wearing swimming shoes.
The quarry has a tiny island covered with wild reed which is a home to numerous frogs and even few grass snakes. These, however, get very easily roused and then always race to hide on their little island.
The site is equipped with a few benches and trash cans so you don't need to worry about litter lying around.
Tip: If you swim across the pond, in the middle, right under the steep rock, there is a tree stuck below the surface on which you can sit an relax.
Once you get enough of swimming, you can go back to Kroměříž and enjoy the evening there. It's possible to take the same route as on the way here or a different one through Záhlinice and "Zámeček" game preserve. The ride is of a similar length - 13,5 km and here is the description:
The ride down the concrete road from the quarry is pretty exciting! It’s truly an amazing 5-minute-long downhill. Protective glasses, especially against summer evening flies are a must :-) Once you reach Tlumačov, go straight and then right onto the cycling route, direction Záhlinice and then straight ahead around a wayside cross.
After that, shortly before Záhlinice, turn left to the train tracks crossing. Be careful here as these are main tracks with high frequency of trains.
Then continue straight and cross a main road which leads from Hulín to Otrokovice.
Then go along Záhlinice football pitch and turn slightly to the left in direction of Záhlinice fishery ponds. There you'll ride through the ponds all the way to a wooden bridge which takes you to "Zámeček" game preserve with a little hunter's chateau, and further to Kroměříž.
Once in town, you’ll find yourselves in the neighborhood called "Dolní Zahrady". Turn left at the first crossroads and continue all the way to the river. Turn right at the end of the street and follow the river all the way to the railway bridge and the footbridge where you set off.
And then, well, you know where to go :-)
Česky