Green Velo

The Around Lake Kolno is an easy, signposted, recreational trail with a length of 25 km. It starts and ends in the locality of Białobrzegi, and runs as its name suggests around Lake Kolno, which is a waterfowl reserve and through small, charming villages and fields and meadows, stretching along the edge of the Augustów Primeval Forest.

The general course of the trail is as follows: Białobrzegi (0.0 km) - Bór (5.0 km) - Gabowe Grądy (5.5 km) - Promiski (7.1 km) - Kolniczanka River, flowing from Lake Kolno (11.2 km) - Kolnica (16.2 km) - Białobrzegi (24.9 km).

The beginning and the end of the route is in the village of Białobrzegi. In this locality there is one of the Augustów Canal locks, connecting the Czarna Hańcza with the Biebrza River through the Augustów lakes. There are two villages on the route inhabited by Old Believers, Bór and Gabowe Grądy. In the latter village the largest attraction of the overall trail is located, a wooden Orthodox Church (called a molenna), that is the church of this traditional branch of Orthodox believers. It is one of the largest centres of this rare religious group in Poland, persecuted by the Tsarist authorities and the Church because of its quite radical religious views. They survived in this area thanks to the protection that the vast forests of the Augustów Forest and the nearby Biebrza marshes gave them through the centuries. In the villages along the route, you will encounter many old wooden huts, so typical of the Podlasie Region, as well as numerous roadside crosses and monuments hidden among the forests, commemorating the Polish partisans. The trail runs about 250 meters from the shores of the shallow Lake Kolno, overgrown with reeds and surrounded by peat bogs. Because of the inaccessible banks, this shallow reservoir is a paradise for many species of birds.

Good asphalt roads, dirt roads and flat terrain make the trail accessible to every cyclist. The route is almost flat and runs interchangeably through fields, meadows and forests. A short section of the route, approximately 400 meters long, runs on the side of the busy road number 8 to the south of the village of Białobrzegi. The other roads on which it runs are mainly good asphalt roads, almost free of traffic. Part of the route is a good dirt road, accessible for virtually any type of bicycle. The route is perfect for a recreational trip or a trip with children, fully accessible for bicycle trailers, but unfortunately devoid of resting points and information boards. Between Białobrzegi and the village of Bór, the trail runs together with the Green Velo route. In the northern part, the trail is parallel to the Green Velo routes and runs through the forest on Lake Sajno, slightly further from the lake.

Points of interest along the trail:

1. The village of Gabowe Grądy – an Orthodox church (called a molenna) of the Old Believers
2. The villages of Bór, Gabowe Grądy - villages inhabited by the Old-Believers
3. "Lake Kolno" Bird Sanctuary
4. The Augustowski Canal - the Białobrzegi lock

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.

Starting point:

The locality of Białobrzegi

Finishing point:

The locality of Białobrzegi