There is a river valley connecting Cachtice to another, smaller village called Visnove. It is quite narrow and overgrown with trees, but it is absolutely beautiful. For me, being from the north of Norway with small trees and tall mountains, this must be what a jungle feels like. There are oak trees here that may have been around during the Bloody Countess’ reign, trees that make you feel smaller than an ant, but there’s also tiny creatures like the beautiful blue-winged Dragonflies that flitter about, or the lizards that dart out of the way unseen, but nor unheard, when we come stomping down the trail. There’s a trail following the river, and along it there are three bigger camp sites where the locals cut the grass, make rough furniture and stack firewood. It is very popular for campers, especially now in summer.

We have made it almost a habit now to go here during the mornings, particularly when it gets really warm, to let the dogs run a bit and cool off in the river. Here they get to sniff around, figure out what kind of animals passed through during the night, and stretch a little bit.

For the woodworker in me, it’s also highly fascinating to walk there. Many of the trees lining the river are scarred by decades of flowing water and the flotsam that it carries, and there are some giant, dead oaks that look absolutely stunning in their own, ancient way. It’s a highly fascinating place, and it hasn’t stopped awing me since I got here.

But when the weather gets a bit cooler, we sometimes decide the dogs need a bit more training, and that’s when we go to visit Countess Bathory. The official trail up to the old castle ruins start in Cachtice, with a nice road leading all the way up to the gates, or, like we often prefer, a slightly shorter, but steeper, walk from Visnove. The castle itself is situated on one of the hills overlooking the village, and we usually go to a small viewpoint next to the castle.