GLEDIC MOUNTAINS (Cestinska gradina 564 m)

The beginning of the trail is in the village of Adzine livade, at the mountain lodge “Dr. Sonja Perisic ”. Adzine livade is 17 km away from Kragujevac. From Belgrade, Kragujevac can be reached via Mladenovac and Topola. In Kragujevac, follow the signpost for Cacak and Kraljevo. When you see a brown sign with the inscription „Храм великомученика Димитрија, Бајчетина“, turn in the direction in which the sign points (left). Drive by the main road and follow the signs toward Adzine livade, for next 20 minutes, and you will reach the mountain lodge. Distance between Belgrade and Adzine livade is 130 km (2 hours by car). In front of the lodge is a monument dedicated to the heroes of the First World War.

Monument

Mountain lodge “Dr. Sonja Perisic”

The beginning of the marked trail is in front of the gate of the mountain lodge. The trail leads downhill, through the woods, to a stream.

Soon, you will enter the area of the village of Cestin. The macadam road will lead you to the village. The markings are very good and fresh. You will come to the Cestin river. Pay attention to the markings, because you need to cross the river and enter the forest, on the marked path, which leads to the monastery Kamenac.

Cestin river

You will come to the monastery Kamenac (15th century). For me, this monastery is a real revelation, because it is so beautiful! This monastery is well known for its balms, which healed many people in Serbia.

Monastery Kamenac

Distance between the mountain lodge and the monastery, is exactly 7 km. I crossed it within 2 hours. The trail is not strenuous and there is no big height difference. But, there are no lookouts. The path from the monastery is a different story. From that trail, there is a view of the wreath of Gledic mountains. From the monastery, return by the same way and cross Cestin river. At an abandoned bus stop, turn right, over the bridge, onto a marked path. To the left, of the bridge, is a marked path that you came from. After an hour and a half of walking, 5 km and 250 m of ascent, you will reach the highest point of this part of Gledic mountains, Cestinska gradina (564 m). The view from the top is great!

Cestinska gradina

On the top of Cestinska gradina

Gledic mountains

After an hour of walk (3 km), from Cestinska gradina, you will come to the starting point, a mountain lodge at Adzine livade. Along the way, you will enjoy in the magnificent landscapes of beautiful Sumadija region!

The total length of the trail is 15 km and can be crossed in 4-5 hours of moderate walking. Not so many hikers goes by this trail, probably because there are no attractive peaks. I also discovered Cestinska gradina by accident; my main goal was monastery Kamenac. And I did not regret it! In this part of Sumadija, there are many lookouts, from which you can soak up all the beauty of Gledic mountains 🙂

July 2020.