This tour is part of a journey that lasts approximately 3 weeks. In June 2018 I traveled through Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic with my partner. The 5th stage of this holiday is a trip around the Jesenik and Orlice mountains in the Czech Republic and Poland.

This route gets 5 stars from me, because it is a wonderfully winding route through beautiful nature reserves, over a number of winding mountain passes. There are also plenty of options en route to take a break on a great terrace with wonderful views.

Today you will drive through the Jesenik and Orlice mountains. Both mountains are part of the Sudetes, a mountain range in Central Europe, and also the highest area in the Bohemian Massif. The Jesenik Mountains are characterized by the many abandoned mines. During the route today you can visit one of these mines under supervision. The Orlice Mountains (translated the Eagle Mountains) is a 50 kilometer long ridge on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. The route circles through this mountain range and you eventually cross the ridge to partly drive through Poland for the second part of the route.

You leave from Hotel Lesanka. First we drive back to the village of Pastviny where we cross the reservoir and drive along the river Orlice that feeds this lake. The mountain also derives its name from this river. The route goes counterclockwise today, so we first head east. We drive on a number of small forest and mountain roads and take a number of hairpin bends before we slowly return to open areas. We pass Červená Voda, where you can refuel if necessary (RP5).

After the fuel stop, we swing again through the valleys of the Sudetes and we cross the Morava river (RP 7). This river has a length of approximately 354 kilometers and eventually ends near Bratislava in the Danube. We do not follow the entire route of this river, but we do follow a few kilometers to Hanušovice. In this town, the river bends south and we continue north-east, so that we can take a break on a number of beautiful mountain roads on top of the Červenohorské Sedlo (RP 9). A well-deserved break after a few steep stretches. In winter this can present the necessary challenges for people who want to come and ski in the resort of the same name. It is then often only accessible with snow chains. In the spring and summer it is a great break for passers-by like us and as a starting and finishing point for hikers.

After the break we drive further north in the direction of the city of Jesenik (RP 11). We slowly drive out of the woods and we arrive in a somewhat more open area, where we also drive into Jesenik. Jesenik's original name was Freiwaldau, or "forest-free." Until 1945 this was a city with a predominantly German-speaking population ("Sudeten Germans"). After the Second World War, the German-speaking population was expelled. We don't stop here: later on the route we pass through the town of Bystrzyca Kłodzka, which in my opinion is a nicer cultural stopping place than Jesenik.

Even more so, because not long after Jesenik we have the opportunity to visit a uranium mine (RP 14). You can park at approximately 200 meters from the entrance. Before you want to visit the mine, it is wise to first consult the website for opening times, reservations and prices. See the hyperlink at the bottom of the review for further information.

After this trip we drive back to the West. On top of the Puchaczówka Pass (RP 16) you can park for a moment to take a picture of the beautiful panorama, but also of your fellow motorcyclists: on top of the pass is a tight large hairpin bend where you can take beautiful photos from the parking lot of how your fellow drivers come through the bend.

At about two thirds of the route you will finally come through Bystrzyca Kłodzka (RP 17). This old city is known for its many historic buildings. It is worth taking a walk here past the old buildings. These are marked with POIs in the route file. The route comes over the Vrijheidsplein (plaza Wolności), where you can park and pause on one of the terraces.

You now start the last part of the route through the Orlice Mountains. This is especially enjoyable: the roads here endlessly wind through the woods and over the mountains. It is a medium mountain range with not too high mountains: the highest mountain is the Velká Deštná (Regenberg) with 1,115 meters. After you have driven around this mountain, the route bends back towards the South.

You can refuel in Rokytnice v Orlických horách (RP 22) before you close the route again with a delicious drink on the terrace at Hotel Lesanka.