EV10/13 – Stage 4

Logistics

The nearest railway stations are Wladyslawowo or Swarzewo. However, it is best to start the route in Wladyslawowo and extend the trail by approx. 18 km by taking the R-10 connector through Rozewie and Ostrowo to Karwienskie Blota (see the description of the Northern Kashuby Loop). When choosing Swarzewo as a starting point, you need to remember that if you go to Karwienskie Blota, you have to come back the same way anyway. So it doesn’t make any sense. The train schedule is the same as for stage 4.

Characteristics, mileage, tips

This stage runs through the communes of Krokowa, Puck, Kosakowo and the city of Puck. The surface along the entire section is highly differentiated. There are local asphalt roads with low traffic (Karwienskie Bloto, Swarzewo, Rzucewo, Oslonino, Mosty, Mechelinki), dirt roads made of good quality aggregate (near the Bielawa reserve, Bledzikowo, Rzucewo, Oslonino, Mechelinki) or fragments of concrete slabs in the vicinity Beka reserve. First of all, there are also comfortable bicycle routes made of asphalt (e.g. a 17-kilometre section from Krokowa to Swarzewo) and, here and there, of concrete cubes. The main advantage of the 5th stage of EuroVelo 10/13 is its proximity to the Gulf of Gdansk. From Swarzewo it runs parallel to the shoreline, sometimes reaching almost to the very shore (e.g. Swarzewo, Puck, Bledzikowo, Rzucewo, Mechelinki) and at other times it goes away to a distance of about 3 km (e.g. Moscie Blota, Kosakowo).

The mentioned section from Krokowa to Swarzewo leads along the former railway embankment and at the no longer existing stations there are parking spaces for cyclists (Krokowa (with toilet), Slawoszyno, Klanino, Radoszewo (with toilet) and Starzynski Dwor with a fragment of the former platform). Attractive bicycle parking lots are also located in Puck (3 places by the bay itself, including 1 with a toilet). The Bay of Gdansk provides amazing views. On the route there are several special places from which you can admire the vast sea panoramas: for example, Kaczy Winkiel near Puck, the Rozgard resting place in Puck, the cliff in Mechelinki or the observation tower in the Beka reserve.

Download the section map in PDF format HERE

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Possible difficulties

In a few fragments, the route runs along a road with general traffic. The most dangerous section is the approx. 1 km long ride along the provincial road 216 in Karwienski Blota (I). Be especially careful here, as there is a lot of traffic in the season. In the coming years, it is planned to build a bicycle road here, so the problem will be solved. In Slawoszyn, we again cover the section on the provincial road (approx. 300 m). This time it is road 215 and there is less traffic on it. In Rzucewo, in front of the castle, you have to overcome a small driveway made of openwork slabs (approx. 100 m), and the road to the neighbouring Oslonino runs along a local road along a historic linden alley. Here, the cyclist moves according to general rules, but appropriate markings have been used to improve the safety of two-wheelers.

A road made of concrete slabs leads through the Beka reserve, which is planned to be modernized in the near future for cycling tourism. In several places in the Kosakowo commune, construction works may be in progress or they are just being prepared. There are appropriate signs and information on the route. A particularly difficult section may be Klifowa Street in Mechelinki, which is planned for implementation. The final section of this street towards the forest creates a steep descent that can be a major obstacle. The planned investment in this place will certainly eliminate this issue.

Dedicated parking spaces

• Krokowa – Railway Street by the school (shelters, benches, bicycle racks, toilet, information board).
• Slawoszyno – at the intersection of the bicycle route with Szkolna Street (shelter, benches, bicycle racks, information board).
• Klanino – on the bicycle route along the former railway embankment in the vicinity of the palace (shed, bench, bicycle racks, information board).
• Radoszewo – on the bicycle route along the former railway embankment at the intersection with Lipowa Street (canopy, bench, bicycle racks, toilet, information board).
• Starzynski Dwor – on the bicycle route along the former railway embankment at the provincial road 213 (canopy, bench, bicycle racks, information board)
• Lebcz – on the bicycle route along the former railway embankment near the intersection of Topolowa Street from Mlynska (canopy, bench, bicycle racks, information board).
• Gniezdzewo – on the bicycle route along the former railway embankment in the vicinity of the active Swarzewo railway station (canopy, bench, bicycle racks, information board).
• Kaczy Winkiel – a vantage point over the Puck Bay (benches, bicycle racks, information boards).
• Puck Sunken Port – a vantage point over the Bay of Puck (canopy, bench, bicycle racks, information board).
• Puck Zielony Mostek – a place in the park near the beach (benches, bicycle racks, toilet, information board).
• Puck Rozgard – a viewing point over the Puck Bay (canopy, bench, bicycle racks, information board).
• The Blota Bridge – in the vicinity of the Beka nature reserve.
• Pierwoszyno – in the forest near the viewpoint of the Puck Bay.
• Pogorze – at Derdowski Street.

You will see on the EuroVelo 10/13 route and in the vicinity

• Krokowa – a castle from the 18th century, rebuilt and extended on the basis of an earlier building with medieval roots. The ancestral seat of the eminent Pomorkie family von Krockow. Currently, it functions as an accommodation and conference facility with a restaurant and is located on the cultural route of the Manors and Palaces of Northern Kashuby. Nearby, in the building of the former inn, there is the Regional Museum, and next to it, a neo-gothic church with two towers with a characteristic castle silhouette dominates the area.
• Klanino (Krokowa Commune) – an Italian-style palace from the 17th-19th century, surrounded by a park and buildings of a former grange. It is part of the cultural route of Northern Kashuby Manors and Palaces and offers accommodation in stylish rooms. Inside, the unique furnishings of the Gdansk hall from the 17th/18th century have been preserved with authentic historic elements: stairs, fireplace, Gdansk wardrobe.
• Starzyno (Puck commune) – a church from the 17th century, founded by the Cistercians. The interior has a valuable Baroque decoration, including altars, a baptismal font and a magnificent polychrome depicting the Last Judgment.
• Starzynski Dwor (Puck commune) – remains of the former Cistercian farm in the form of several buildings and a chapel adjacent to the entrance gate. The building is successively renovated, unfortunately it is not open to the public.
• Swarzewo (Puck commune) – Marian Sanctuary in a neo-Gothic temple from 1880. In the main altar there is a miraculous figure of the Mother of God, probably from the 14th century. There is ma small marina close the bay and a bit closer, along the road there is a chapel with a.” miraculous” water.
• Puck – a city along the Puck Bay (part of the Gdansk Bay) with a well-developed sailing base and interesting monuments:

– The Gothic Church of St. Peter and Paul with a historic interior design, including: the main altar from the 18th century, the baroque Wejher family chapel.

– The market square with tenement houses from the 19th and 20th centuries and the neo-gothic town hall.

– Museum of Puck area – there are two branches of the museum in the city: the Merchant Tenement House on the market square and the half-timbered hospital from the 18th century on Walowa Street. In both places, exhibitions related to history, culture, crafts and everyday life in the former Puck and Northern Kashuby are presented.

– Maritime Squadron Museum – dedicated to the naval aviation base existing in Puck in the interwar period.

– Marina – currently has 60 berths and the planned extension will increase its capacity by an additional 100. The area of the yacht port is a popular walking place for tourists. In a characteristic building at the end of the pier, there is a stylish tavern overlooking the sea. There is the city beach close to the port.

– Fishing port – is located to the west of the marina. On the embankment there is a symbolic pillar dedicated to the, so called  „Wedding” of Poland and the Sea made by General Haller in 1920. Next to it there is a bust of the “Blue General” and a commemorative obelisk.

• Rzucewo (Puck commune) – a neo-Gothic palace from the mid-19th century. 19th century, belonging in the 17th century to King Jan III Sobieski. The accommodation facility operating in the monument bears his name today. There is a small mooring pier over the bay, and less than a kilometre to the north, the Settlement of Seal Hunters Culture Park. The shore of the Puck Bay south of Rzucewo is one of the most wild, inaccessible and picturesque.
• Oslonino (Puck commune) – a cliff and a picturesque shore covered with stones, a small mooring pier in the vicinity.

Beka Reserve (Puck Commune) – an area of salty meadows located at the mouth of the Reda River to the sea. The reserve is a shelter for birds of European importance (nearly 200 species). An observation tower has been built for tourists who want to admire this extraordinary landscape and observe birds.

• Mosty (Kosakowo commune) – a manor house from the 17th-19th century.

Mechelinki (Kosakowo commune) – a fishing port with a pier for tourists, an extremely picturesque rocky beach with a high cliff shore to the south of the port (an excellent vantage point on the cliff edge from the Eurovelo 10/13 route).

• Rewa (Kosakowo commune, off the EuroVelo 10/13 route) – a cosy holiday resort with a good accommodation and gastronomic base. The peculiarity of Rewa is the famous peninsula called Szperk in Kashubian. It is a narrow sandbank separating the waters of the Puck and Gdansk Bay. Rewa is an ideal place for windsurfing and kitesurfing.

Unobvious attractions and other mysterious places on the route and in the vicinity:

• Sulicice (Krokowa Commune) – the ruin of a palace from the 19th century, the object is not open to the public.
• Starzynski Dwor (Puck commune) – the tomb of the von Grass family, located in the vicinity of the former Cistercian farm.
• Puck – an old ice house probably built in the 1930s, located on the cliff wall by the beach.
• Rzucewo (Puck commune) – ruins of the von Below family mausoleum, the facility is located in the vicinity of the former brickyard south of the village.
• Wreck of the Polish Navy Ship “Kujawiak” – stuck in the waters of the Puck Bay at the Rybitwia Sandbar between Rewa and Kuznica.

Suggestions for other bicycle trips

• The Trail of Northern Kashubian Mansions and Palaces (unmarked) – a cultural trail, both by bicycle and by car. A tourist product created on the basis of historic mansions and palaces that function as accommodation facilities, restaurants, sometimes hotels and spas. The route is approx. 206 km long. You should allocate at least 3 days to overcome it.