Fancy a nice hike with as a reward stunning panoramic views over rolling fields, villages, towns, a castle and forests? I’ve found the perfect walk, just intense enough for a good workout, but not too long that you loose a whole day and you will be rewarded with great views. The walk is from the parking lot in the village Podevčevo about an hour to the top and you walk down in about 45 minutes.
You span an altitude of about 340m and the walk (depending on which route you take) is 4.7 km long. There are two roads leading to the top of Čevo, an easy one that is longer but not so steep, and a difficult route that is fairly steep but shorter.
I have taken the difficult route up and down the easy one, so you make a round route and don’t have to go back on the same road. Going down the mountain is also easy as the road is not too steep. Here is a link to a map of the walk.
You start in the small rustic village Podevčevo where on the right side of the road is a parking lot for up to about 15 cars, but usually there are only two, three cars of fellow walkers. There are clear signs how to walk through the village, past fields and then slowly up into the forest. At the first sign you turn left for the steep, short route up (for the easy route you walk straight ahead). You follow the path through the forest. After about 40 minutes you come to a house (private property), and just after this house you have a quiet place with a beautiful panoramic view! You can look around and see the city of Varazdin, Čakovec, further to the right Novi Marof and of course lots of small villages, idyllic located along the hills between the fields and forests. Here you can take a break, relax and take beautiful photos.
Then proceed according to the route to the top of the mountain which is marked with a large stone. Unfortunately, here you do not have any views, but if you go further down the path you come again to a little house (private property) and a large silver cross. Here you can rest and enjoy the wonderful view, now slightly further directed to the west.
The easy route down has a short steep stretch, but after that it’s a lovely route through the forest. When we arrived down in the village we ate delicious baked trout in a small café, you have to specify in advance that you want to eat there. The trout (pastrva in Croatian) is captured at the nearby fish farm, ribogojoliste Čevo, and freshly prepared for you. You can stop by the bar before you start your walk and arrange for the trout to be prepared for you. So when you come back from you hike the delicious dish is waiting for you!
Along the way we met someone from the Cross League Čevo – a club of trained athletes and less trained people who regularly climb the Čevo, but running! They made a film that lasts only three minutes, but very nice to look at; of all athletes a picture was taken and these are all put back-to-back. Every year there is an event on November 11th (st. Martin’s day) in which more than 100 people run up the mountain and afterwards there will be a party down in the clubhouse. So if you are in the area this is a fun, sporty and festive outing.
Prayer for the Mountaineer
On the mountain we boldly go,
St. Anthony will give you strength,
along the dangerous cliffs
St. Anthony is always with you.
Climbing on the mountain,
you should known the paths well,
trust in St. Anthony
he protects and watches us.
St. Anthony waits for us,
St. Anthony accompanies us,
through valleys and mountains
Let luck follow us.
