You will probably come to Ostrá from the town of Úštěk. Right at the beginning of the village on the left side you will find a parking lot and a tourist crossroad sign. It is best to park here and continue on foot. We can explore the beauty of the Hradecký Mine closer by taking the local marked route, which begins right here. Out of the village in the terrain the tourist signs and marks are perfectly clear, but in the village they are somewhat confusing. But we will explain everything to you, so do not worry. We start following the red sign towards the village. Then you will follow the road but make sure not to miss the upcoming distinctive left turn. We will not take this left turn as the road does, but continue straight ahead on a forest road along the fence of a house straight into the woods. There we will see a tourist sign on a tree. From now on, the tourist signs will show us the way without any problems. Stay on the path winding through the forest fields (if you come to a crossroad sign in the centre of the village it will send you along the road towards Skalka. However, you will not find any Helfenburk Castle there and will have to go back).

If you managed to find the right path, then you and your children are about to experience an adventurous journey along the edge of the Hradecký Mine. On the right side you will see sandstone rock formations that line up along the steep slopes of the mine deep down below us. After a while we come to a rocky outcrop offering a nice view of the forested valley with the massive castle on the top. This view is the best motivation for your journey ahead. We will wind between huge oaks and pine trees and see bizarre rock formations below us. Then we will come to another rocky viewing terrace, and see the castle as if right at our fingertips. But do not forget that the rocky terrace hangs above a deep abyss! We keep following the edge of the Hradecký Mine for a while and then our sign will take us down to a tourist rest place called u Krásné studánky (Near a Beautiful Fountain) You and your children may rest here for a while but if you cannot wait to see the castle, keep going. All you need to do is to climb 300 m up to a rocky cliff and you are there. This entire section is 3 km long and not 1 km as the crossroad sign says! Now, right in front of you, you can see the Helfenburk Castle, whose ruins have been enticing painters and artists for the last century to paint and sketch more and more pictures. The local people living in this area had no choice but to create more bizarre tales and stories about the castle. No wander then that everyone wants to take a closer look at this castle and its history. Even today's fast and turbulent times could not take the magic and charm away from this romantic castle. It was built in the early 14th century and equipped with massive castle walls (12 meters high and 200 m long), still preserved today and with a 30 m high tower (now modified as a viewing tower). Also, many of its buildings built on sandstone rocks are well preserved, including the underground area and 57 m deep well. The castle is freely accessible all year-round, and well secured, however, you enter at your own risk only. Mostly children will enjoy the magnificent adventure offered by the castle, but again, they should not wander freely around without adult supervision. Our return route is short. We take the yellow sign down to Hradecký Brook and cross the brook near the crossroad sign Ptačí důl (Bird Mine) Then we take a right turn towards the hill and follow the local red circuit. The first 300 m are very steep. But later, the red sign will take us to a more comfortable slope, which we will follow all the way back to our parking lot. If you and your children still have some energy left you may walk or take your car to the centre of Ostrá, where you will see several well-preserved houses built in the folk architectural style. Or your children may have fun on the swings and enjoy refreshments. Above the village square you will see a hill called Kostelíčky with three chapels designed by O. Broggio. A less than 200 m long climb will take us to the remains of the Way of the Cross and to Baroque sandstone sculptures. The staircase leading to the chapels is extremely impressive. It is also an excellent place to view the Czech Central Mountains, whose mystical atmosphere is further enhanced by the crumbling Baroque buildings. Suitable for pre-school children. Total length 5 km.