Green Velo

A short (less than 16 km), but very interesting bike trail, running through the centre of the Suwałki Landscape Park, from the village of Turtul through the village of Szurpiły to the village of Wodziłki. The route is varied and abounds in beautiful views. The route is suitable for a recreational trip and has fairly good signposting, except the last piece before the village of Wodziłki. The trail is not too difficult, but due to the surface it is best to cover it on a mountain bike.

The general course of the trail is as follows: Malesowizna-Turtul (0.0 km) - Szurpiły (6.4 km) - Góra Zamkowa [Castle Hill] (11.0 km) - Wodziłki (16.0 km).

The starting point of the trail is located in the village of Malesowizna-Turtul, by the bridge over the Czarna Hańcza river, near the old water-mill and the headquarters of the Suwałki Landscape Park. From there, the trail runs on an asphalt road for just over 6 km with little traffic to the east, to the village of Szurpiły, together with the Green Velo trail. On the way, you can see a mini-museum, which is the Yotvingian Hall of Memory. It presents, among others, archaeological artefacts found in the area around Góra Zamkowa (Castle Hill). From the village of Szurpiły, the trail runs mainly on dirt roads to the Castle Hill. Nearby there are several small lakes, the largest of which, Lake Szurpiły, is characterised by a small island in its central part. In the Middle Ages, a large stronghold of a Prussian tribe (the Yotvingians) was located on the Castle Hill. The lakes surround the hill from several sides, increasing its defensive value. Interestingly, the water level in each of the lakes is at a different level. It is worth leaving the trail for a moment to climb the Castle Hill and reach its top, rising 228 meters above sea level. From this place, the panorama of the area looks particularly beautiful. You can see perfectly the flat surfaces of lakes lying at the foot of the hill. Then the trail runs westwards through forests and meadows where many cheerful Suwałki cows graze. In this part, the signposting is slightly worse. The trail ends in the village of Wodziłki, where the oldest Polish temple of Old Believers is located. The Old Believers is a small and old religious group with very strict rules of faith. Persecuted for centuries by the Russian church, they hid in the remote corners of the Russian Empire. Their small groups also survived in the Suwałki region, as well as in the vicinity of the city of Augustów. The wooden temple of Old Believers is properly called a molenna and is one of the most valuable monuments of cultural heritage in the Suwałki region and a relic of the old history of these lands. From the village of Wodziłki, not far, only 2.5 km, to the start of the loop in the locality of Turtul. You can get there cycling down the yellow bike trail.

Points of interest along the trail:

1. The Suwałki Landscape Park
2. Turtul - the Czarna Hańcza river, the ruins of the mill
3. Szurpiły - Yotvingians Hall of Memory
4. Góra Zamkowa (Castle Hill) - historical and nature path, former settlement, a vantage point
5. Wodziłki – a molenna of the Old Believers

The entire trail is suitable for bicycles with panniers/bike trailers. The trail uses solely roads with no motor vehicle traffic allowed, or local roads with a low and very low vehicle traffic; no dangerous intersections. A recreational trail. Trail offering outstanding vistas.

Starting point:

Malesowizna-Turtul, a node of trails at the Suwałki Landscape Park

Finishing point:

Wodziłki, Orthodox Church (a molenna) of the Old Believers