Many people imagine a national park or a protected area as a distant mountainous landscape, and if you have had that idea too, you need to change it. There are so many tiny protected areas in our immediate surroundings, and if we hypnotize the map long enough, we will be pleased to find them, not only the big ones like Burdov or Leliansky forest, but also such micro territories as Mužliansky brook, or Owl vineyards near Salka, or Jursky chlm, nicely framed with green.
We also have such an area in the surroundings, which has earned our attention today, because not so long ago it was awarded the third level of protection, namely the Čenkovská lesostep (Čenkov woodland).
By no means does this mean that we can't go to Čenkov from now on, just that we need to value and protect the forest even more. (Of course, this is true in general, nature needs to be protected, we need to behave nicely during the hike, not littering, not being noisy, not picking flowers, not catching butterflies - just enjoying ourselves and behaving as if we weren't even there!)
There is a concrete road through the forest, perfect for cycling. From the vineyards of Mužlan, the Čenkovská forest trail is about 10 kilometres away: turn onto the main road towards Nové Zámky, then turn left to Malá Mužla, then right and then left again to Jurský Chlm. The cycle path is lined with trees and shrubs for almost its entire length, so we won't be warm even on warmer days. After the turn to Jurský Chlm we will find bilingual signs (Slovak and Hungarian) which will tell us more about the flora and fauna of the area, and if we go quietly and pay attention, we may encounter roe deer, foxes, and in a worse case, wild boar. Along the way you will also find hunting blinds, and since it is not literally forbidden, I believe that the hunters will not be angry if you climb them (as we did :-) ), because they offer a beautiful view. There are several places along the way where you can find turn-offs to forest paths, you can take a walk, have a picnic (just be responsible!).
After about 5 km ride you will reach Čenkov, where the beautiful green path ends. Here you can turn to the Danube, cool off a bit in the water, enjoy the scenery by the cascading river and the floodplain forest. The recently built EuroVelo6 cycle route runs through Čenkov. If you turn right after riding through the Čenkov Forest Trail, near the former Motorest, you will reach Kravany, Moča, and even Komárno, along the entire length of the Danube, but if you turn left, in the direction of the river flow, you will cross Obid and reach Štúrovo. One section of the Velo6 also turns into Mužla. The whole route is well signposted, it is impossible to get lost here.
As the route through the Čenkovský forest leads through uninhabited territory, don't forget to take plenty of liquids and food with you!
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