Author Topic: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?  (Read 2011 times)

Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« on: 28 March, 2022, 09:33:39 pm »
I've got a 7 - 10 days leave coming up in September and looking to do a cycle tour in Poland. My wife is Polish and I'd like to get to know the country and see more of it, rather than our often short trips to family (Wroclaw, Szczecin mainly).

One of my ideas is a ride from Krakow to Gdanks, for no other reason than it's almost an end to end and I like the idea of fish and chips at the end.

Anyone done something similar or can recommend another route of around 6-700km?

Anyone have any experience of cycling in Poland?

My Polish language skills are not great, and I'm hoping that I can do some touring there and improve them.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #1 on: 29 March, 2022, 10:37:12 am »
Anyone have any experience of cycling in Poland?
Yes, but no touring, and almost all of it pre-2010. And I've never been to Gdansk either! I've always found Wrocław rather different from most of the rest of Poland – it's basically a German city that ended up in Poland by politics – and supposedly Szczecin is modelled on Paris(!), so that must be atypical too!

Traffic used to be quite light off the main roads, mostly locals in little Fiats, tractors and even horse carts*, but I'd expect they're quite busy now. I've always found drivers quite good though in terms of the space they give you (more so than when driving). The Świętokrzyskie mountains (hills really) in central Poland are quite pretty.

*Very localised but still used into the 21st century.
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Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #2 on: 29 March, 2022, 10:52:21 am »
It's a good few years since I've cycled in Poland, as I've found it one of the less interesting countries of Europe to cycle in. So this may all be out of date.

Poland is a country where all interesting/attractive parts are round the edges. Central Poland is basically a large and featureless plain and really doesn't offer many points of interest for a cycle tour. I found the best area to be the north-east corner, the part that was formerly East Prussia, which is a mixture of forest and lakes. The mountains on the southern border (around Zakopane, for example) are also worth visiting.

If I were touring from Krakow to Gdansk, I would do a big loop around the eastern edge of the country rather than taking a direct line. Though if you were making a proper end, why not continue to Hel? It's a ride I've been recommended but not done, but it's as far as you can go and would certainly make an excellent finishing point.


Cudzoziemiec

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Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #3 on: 29 March, 2022, 10:58:27 am »
And if you're going to Hel, why not go via Jaskinia Raj – literally the Heaven Caves?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Salvatore

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Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #4 on: 29 March, 2022, 12:56:11 pm »
I've twice toured in Poland both as part of longer largely unplanned multi-month tours. Once in 2014 from the Lithuanian border to Germany sticking mostly near the Baltic coast, and then in 2018 from the Czech Republic to the Lithuanian border.



My strategy was to avoid big cities as much as possible, which was reinforced after I rode through Łódź.

Everything seemed very cheap, and not only because my 2014 tour had included lots of Scandinavia.

Most of the time I was camping, often in campsites whose name was just a number - I assume this was a leftover from pre-1990.

When I couldn't find a campsite hotels were very cheap. Two incidents stand out.
Hotel 1: I asked at reception if there was a room for that night. The receptionist looked doubtful. "Only our most expensive room". It was, I think 120 złoty (about £25 I think) and about the most luxurious hotel room I've ever stayed in.
Hotel 2, on a very hot day: the price of a room was, I was told 110 złoty, but there was a 'special offer' of 90 złoty, because there was no hot water.   

If you want to improve your Polish, I came across plenty of places where no English was spoken. In the holiday areas of the north, next to the coast and especially in the Masurian Lake district, German was the second language (reflecting no doubt the majority of non-Polish tourists). Elsewhere I often found myself shopping in small village skleps, where the customer has to tell the shopkeeper what they want and they fetch it from the shelf behind them (like Open All Hours). Pointing only gets you so far, and often the ever-increasing queue behind me came to my help, giving suggestions to the shopkeeper as to what I wanted. Invariably much hilarity ensued.

Apart from Łódź it was very pleasant cycling.

From time to time I unexpectedly came across stark reminders of 20th century history: a huge was cemetery at Lambinowice; a memorial to hundreds of Poles from a village deported post-1945 and never seen again; and an odd concrete road (like a Belgian one) which led to the village of Treblinka. Not that such experiences are unique to Poland - just what I recall from my trips.

I'll add anything else which occurs to me.

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Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #5 on: 29 March, 2022, 01:00:43 pm »
Thank you all for your replies. There seems to be a distinct lack of information about cycle touring, so it's even more interesting. I have played around with google streetview and Poland appears less picturesque than France/Spain. However, I plan on ensuring plenty of interest in terms of history. I have a trip planned to the local library to get some guidebooks.

Any further comments are very welcome, thank you.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #6 on: 29 March, 2022, 02:05:24 pm »
I looked at the cycle touring page of the PTTK, the Polish Tourism and Landscape Association.
https://www.pttk.pl/turystyka-rowerowa.html#.YkMDBrjMLIV
They don't seem to have anything in English but I read it so you don't need to (it's just "a short history of cycle touring in Poland").
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Salvatore

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Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #7 on: 30 March, 2022, 10:51:05 am »
I looked at the cycle touring page of the PTTK, the Polish Tourism and Landscape Association.
https://www.pttk.pl/turystyka-rowerowa.html#.YkMDBrjMLIV
They don't seem to have anything in English but I read it so you don't need to (it's just "a short history of cycle touring in Poland").

That reminds me. Approaching the town of Nysa, I met an aged local out on his bike. His name was Michael (or the Polish equivalent). We conversed (somehow) for a while, and he invited me to his flat, where he gave me sandwiches and coffee, and showed me his many cycling and other medals. He was obviously very big in the local cycle touring scene, and was due to organise a big international get-together later that year. He offered to accompany me for a stretch that afternoon, and after showing me the sights of downtown Nysa, led me on a route out of town. But instead of a nice country lane, he insisted on leading me up the main road towards the north, a busy dead-straight single carriageway with plenty of close-passing heavy vehicles. Fearing for my life, I unilaterally decided to turn off the road at the next junction onto a quiet country lane, but he couldn't understand why anyone would want to use such a road, expressing himself rather forcibly,  and we parted not exactly best friends.

Anyway, through the website you linked to, Cudzo, I found him -  Michał Raczyński. And here is a bit about him on a local Nysa website https://nowinynyskie.com.pl/artykul/michal-raczynki-na/1239168 (if you're not Cudzo google translate provides something readable).

Sorry, not a lot of use to you, humankeith, except that if you find yourself in Nysa avoid route 401 north out of town.

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et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #8 on: 30 March, 2022, 11:09:14 am »
It mentions that one of his reasons for visiting Lwow was to consult on marking out a cycle route there. Judging by Salvatore's experience, it might be one to avoid!

And on the topic of road numbers, white numbers on a red background are main roads, black on yellow are more like B roads. But the best ones have no numbers at all.  :D Also, if you follow those, be prepared for sand, especially through forests.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Salvatore

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Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #9 on: 30 March, 2022, 05:21:47 pm »
I didn't find Polish sand too bad. Certainly preferable to Lithuanian or Latvian 'gravel', or Russian mud.
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et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #10 on: 03 April, 2022, 11:21:14 am »
It mentions that one of his reasons for visiting Lwow was to consult on marking out a cycle route there. Judging by Salvatore's experience, it might be one to avoid!

And on the topic of road numbers, white numbers on a red background are main roads, black on yellow are more like B roads. But the best ones have no numbers at all.  :D Also, if you follow those, be prepared for sand, especially through forests.

Thank you for your interesting replies. I was hoping to visit Lodz. Knowing that traffic may be an issue means I can plan a route in to the city via minor roads perhaps.

If there are any other routes that you may recommend, I am all ears.

In terms of sand, is this common? I was considering doing the route on my folding bike which works well for bad roads, but sand I imagine may push it :)

Salvatore

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Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #11 on: 04 April, 2022, 12:56:44 pm »
I wouldn't pay too much attention to my experience of riding through  Łódź. I hadn't planned a route and as I recall I was making for a campsite in the NE of the city, which I found didn't exist any more, so aimed for one in the SW. In rush hour. On a very hot afternoon. I'm sure there are pleasant ways in and out of the city.
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et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #12 on: 04 April, 2022, 02:12:43 pm »
 Łódź is known as the Polish Manchester, because it grew on cotton manufacture in the 19th century. It's culturally very interesting, having been at the interface of Russian and German influence. There's an annual "Four Cultures" Festival, the other two being Polish and Jewish (or used to be, I don't know if it's still held). It also is or used to be the centre of Polish filmmaking, particularly animation. But I've never cycled through or in it.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Poland cycle tour. Krakow to Gdansk?
« Reply #13 on: 04 April, 2022, 07:56:55 pm »
In terms of sand, is this common? I was considering doing the route on my folding bike which works well for bad roads, but sand I imagine may push it :)

Not common. I encountered a couple of sand roads in the NE in the forests around the Latvian border. It was surprising as the road was relatively major on the map and wide. The sand was very dry and deep, so completely unrideable. Maybe an hour of walking each time.

In general, minor roads in Poland are very good, tarmac rather than the gravel you get in surrounding countries. Komoot *might* be able to identify the sand roads, but that probably relies on someone on the ground having raised an issue - annoyingly the default seems to be to class any road with a number as "paved" which they often are not.

Often major roads have a cycle path alongside for great distances but they are either old, uneven block paving or riddled with tree roots so not rideable at any reasonable speed. I don't think you're obliged to use them and no-one minds you riding on the highway. Local utility riders will be on the highway, but generally on the wrong side like a walker.

It's a pretty good place to cycle on the whole, but as others have pointed out there can be long stretches where the landscape is uninspiring, the villages empty and uninteresting, and the cycling a bit tedious.
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