Welcome to the grounds of Krkonoš, ruler of and mountain spirit in the Giant Mountains. If you keep him a friend, he will ensure a beautiful sunny day for touring! If you make him angry, he will bring rain, hail and snow ... Even though the forecasts were positive.

Get to know the greatest and most influential myth in this region. According to legends (dating back to the 15th century), the mountain spirit lives below the Sněžka (1600m), the highest mountain in the Giant Mountains. Krkonoš protects the nature reserve and the people who visit and live in the area ... as long as you treat nature and its inhabitants well. According to stories, Krkonoš takes all possible forms, so you will never know if and where you meet the ghost.

The most famous form is that of an older man, with a long beard and walking stick. Already in the morning, on your departure from Špindlerův Mlýn, you have the chance to meet him. He regularly walks through the center of this fashionable ski resort. Krkonoš likes to tease people: if you ask him for directions, he will happily send you in the wrong direction. Be warned and make sure you have correctly loaded your MyRoute-App route in your navigation system in the morning!

The Czechs are so proud of their famous resident that they named the mountain area after the mountain spirit. We know the area as the Giant Mountains, in the Czech Republic the National Park is called Krkonoše.

Today we drive a lap through this immense area, which covers 631 km2. We visit both the Czech and Polish side of the Giant Mountains. The Silesian northern part, in Poland, descends steeply to the Jelenia Góra valley, while the southern Czech part slopes gradually towards the Bohemian basin. The western part of the Giant Mountains is marked by the mountain pass Przełęcz Szklarska. At the end of our tour, we also drive over this (RP29).

After departure from Špindlerův Mlýn we follow the river Elbe (which rises high from the Giant Mountains) to the town of Vrchlabí. This town is one of the oldest settlements in this National Park. In the center you drive past a number of colored houses. These traditional houses are among the oldest surviving houses in the city and today house a museum. Because there is more to see on the way, we do not stop here and drive on.

Since the Giant Mountains are a protected nature reserve, we can mainly only drive past it. On the Czech side we therefore follow the road along the mountains and we come along the Krkonoše Tree Top Walk (RP4). Here it pays to stop and do the walk above the treetops. In addition to a spectacular view, you can also learn more about the nature reserve itself. The walk is easy to do in motorcycle clothing and there are opportunities to take a break and have a drink after your walk.

After this stop you continue the route slowly towards Poland. Finally, you can stop at Malá Úpa (RP5), just before crossing the border into Poland. On the Polish side, the trees break open at the first hairpin bend, finally giving you a beautiful view of the mountains around you (RP6). Unfortunately there are no parking spaces here, so find a safe place on the asphalt if you want to take a photo.

Before we drive deep into the mountain roads of the Giant Mountains in Poland, we first go a bit towards the North. Just like nature, some towns in Poland are also beautiful. Kowary (RP8) for example has such a beautiful city center, but also its own “Madurodam”. The town has a modest Miniature Park where you can view various Polish architectural styles. Because today is mainly a route to enjoy driving in nature, I have not created a stop in the route. The waypoint is available, so if you still want to visit the miniature park, the route will pass right by it.

After about 80 km on the route we turn again towards the high mountains of the Giant Mountains. Before we turn up the narrow mountain roads, we visit Karpacz (RP14). In this old city you will find two special places. The first is a 12th century Stave Church (RP18), which moved here from Norway in the 19th century. The second is an optical illusion on one of the roads: objects appear to roll up the slope. Unfortunately I could not find this place. I'd love to hear from you if you know the exact location!

After the visit to the stave church we drive up the small mountain roads. We meander through the trees, occasionally enjoying the views. After a wonderful trip we come across a natural attraction just before the town of Szklarska Poręba: the waterfall of Szklarki (RP27). You can park along the road in one of the parking spaces and then walk to the falls in about 10 minutes max (500 meters). It is a beautiful waterfall, which the locals have also discovered: you have to pass all the tourist stalls to reach the entrance to the hiking trail. If you find this annoying and prefer to visit another beautiful nature point, you can keep following the Kamienna river and after Szklarska Poręba stop at Krucze Skały (RP28). This special rock formation is located directly along the road and is a beautiful one to take in the picture. If you feel like stretching your legs, it is also worth following the hiking trail to the top of the rock.

All that touring (and perhaps walking) will surely have made you thirsty again. On the Czech side, it is worthwhile to take a break in the village of Harrachov. This village is one of the larger ski villages (just like Špindlerův Mlýn) and houses a special company (RP31): a glassworks and beer brewery in one! The restaurant is freely accessible: while you pause here, you can immediately see the glassblowers in action.

After a wonderful break the last part of the route really starts. Fortunately, it is not inferior to the rest of the day: via small hamlets and even smaller winding roads you drive through and over the mountains of the Giant Mountains back to Špindlerův Mlýn.

If you still see a bench on the way back through the ski village of Krkonoš, remember that you also knew him. The mountain spirit has inspired the character Gandalf in Tolkien's famous book series: Lord of the Rings.

The route gets 5 stars from me, because it shows the most beautiful places of the Giant Mountains in both the Czech Republic and Poland. Along the way you pass through beautiful nature reserves and you drive on wonderful winding roads. Keep in mind that some (especially the small mountain roads) are not always of good quality.

This is the seventh stage in a route collection of 11 trips in total, and is part of the Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic trip that I rode with my partner in 2018.