From Vrícké sedlo via Fačkovské sedlo, Čičmany, Strážov to Zlichov.
Yesterday was a perfect day for running, sun, 20 degrees, fresh green forests and blooming meadows.
Jožko drove us to the start at Vrícké sedlo, we all still have a vivid memory of how we ended one stage exactly at this place. It is a fresh morning, 7 o’clock and after breakfast eaten on the way in the car and coffee from a thermos, Lucka and I set off. Jožko is going to drive the car to Zliechov and will go to meet us.

The forest path here and there runs out into a meadow and Lucka and I chat and don’t even know how the time flies. We reach the Fačkov saddle after about an hour and a half. Here we leave the Malá Fatra and enter the Strážovské Vrchy, which are a completely unexplored part of Slovakia for me. And it’s so beautiful here. There are great views from the top of the slope.

This is followed by a descent to Čičmany, just before them in the middle of the meadow we meet Jožko, the score is 15.6km for girls, 12.8km Jožko.
Čičmany are known for their preserved folk architecture – painted log cabins. The architecture here resembles gingerbread houses, mainly thanks to the exterior decoration of the houses. We admire them and in the center of the village we even find an open pub connected to a souvenir shop. The things they sell are beautiful and we would buy the entire shop. However, our backpacks can only hold a magnet map of Slovakia with the SNP route marked and the point where Čičmany are located. We have coffee and non-alcoholic beer. What a pleasure, Bernard’s Grep non-alcoholic beer is really divine. I pour half of mine into an already empty bottle – it will come in handy later.


We climb to Strážov, the peak itself is a bit of a detour from the SNP route, but we can’t miss it. It has a height of 1213 m above sea level and is the highest peak of the Strážovské vrchy. Thanks to its altitude and location, Strážov offers interesting and distant views. The rocky peak offers a circular panorama of the surrounding hills and neighboring mountain ranges. Under suitable conditions, it is possible to see the Malá Fatra, the Vtáčnik mountain range or Považský Inovec. It is truly beautiful there.


At the end, we only have a steep descent and one gentle slope to go and we are in Zliechov. All three of us are smiling and satisfied, today it went great.




























