Recently, it occurred to me, that I should hike more often in the surroundings of the town where I live, which is Puchov, because mostly I hike in the High Tatras and I barely know the area around my home town.
I was overlooking this area, protected area of the Strazovske mountains, even though it´s hilly with lot of hiking trails and nice viewpoints, but I thought it´s not so impressive as the hills are not so high as in the High Tatras. And I was wrong. It´s pretty awesome. Walking in the Strazovske mountains is all about walking through the green forests and meadows. Forget about silence. Wherever you are, there are tons of birds singing everywhere. You won´t meet many people during the day. Only at the weekend and those will be most likely locals. So if you want and need to be alone, this is the right place to be.
I think this area is great for walking activities. You can walk from one village to another and stay in small family owned hotels and hostels. You can choose from various routes ranging from easy to difficult.
The hike we did was about 15 km long, with vertical ascend more than 900 metres. The hike wasn´t easier just because the hills are lower. It was still strenuous enough. We walked from one of my most favourite villages, called Mojtin, through the highest peak of the area – Strazov, to the village Čičmany. The village Čičmany is well known for its originally painted wooden houses. The ornaments painted on the houses are listed in UNESCO Intangible Heritage List.
Despite of great fire in 1921, the majority of houses were fortunately restored to its original appearance. The ornaments were painted using white lime, which had the function of conservation and protection of the wood.
