Beskydy

The Moravskoslezske Beskydy are the western tip of the Carpathian arc reaching into Czech territory, a flysch range of long forested ridges rising to 1323 metres at Lysa hora, and they are culturally as much as geographically Carpathian: the Wallachian colonisation of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries brought shepherds up from the south-east along the mountain chain, and the sheep economy, the timber architecture, the dialect and the food that came with it are still the region's identity. It is the only part of the country where all three large carnivores - wolf, lynx and brown bear - occur, though bears are occasional wanderers from Slovakia rather than a resident population. Radhost carries a chapel to Cyril and Methodius and a statue of the pagan god Radegast; Pustevny has Jurkovic's timber huts of the 1890s. Roznov has the largest open-air museum in the country.

What you actually see

• The Carpathian arc's western tip - long flysch ridges to 1323 metres.
• Wallachian shepherd culture - the architecture, dialect and food it brought.
• All three large carnivores - wolf, lynx and occasional bears from Slovakia.
• Radhost and Pustevny - the chapel, the Radegast statue and Jurkovic's timber huts.

When to go

May to October, or the ski season. Three days.

Honest expectations

Rain and cloud are frequent, especially on the western slopes. Pustevny and Radhost are crowded at weekends. Ticks are bad. Bear sightings are very rare and should be reported, not sought.

Nearby

Roznov open-air museum is south; Lysa hora and Mionsi are in the range.