Green Velo

The red bike trail in Daleszyce is a local cycle route in the form of a loop with a length of nearly 25 kilometres, running through Daleszyce and its surroundings. This area is located southeast of the city of Kielce, at the foothills of the Cisowsko-Orłowiński Range of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. It is a suburban, but quite heavily forested area. The trail runs through the villages of the Daleszyce Municipality, meandering between forests, fields and expanding villages.

The general route of the trail is as follows: Daleszyce, centre (0.0 km) - Brzechwów (3.9 km) - Niestachów (8.8 km) - Suków-Papiernia (14.4 km) - Słopiec (19.3 km) - Daleszyce (23.9 km).

The trail starts and ends at the market square in Daleszyce. This is a very old town, from the early Middle Ages, belonging to the Cracow bishops. Until the 19^th century it was a city, and Daleszyce regained municipal rights in 2007. Before the war, the town was inhabited by a large Jewish community. During the German occupation, the population with Jewish faith was murdered by the Nazis, and the town itself was a place of guerrilla warfare during the war. As part of a retaliatory pacification action, the German army burnt down the town in 1944, which was rebuilt in 1946. From the old days, the urban layout of a small town with a large market square and several old houses and a historic church have survived.

Then the trail runs to the village of Brzechwów, to climb a little over 300 meters to one of the westernmost hills of the Cisowsko-Orłowiński Range, the southern part of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. After reaching the summit, the trail runs down through the forest, through the valley of a small brook, to the village of Niestachów. From there, it runs along the asphalt road to the south, along the foothills of Mount Jabłonna, to the village of Suków-Papiernia. The name of the town comes from a former paper mill, which was built on the Warkocz brook in the 17^th century and was operated until the 19^th  century. In the area, there were also other industrial plants including an ironworks (forge) and watermills, so it was a completely urbanized area.

In the nearby forest, the trail runs next to a monument commemorating the population of nearby localities murdered in 1943. From there, the trail runs through the forest to the village of Słopiec, located near Borkowo, where there is a recreational artificial lake on the Bełnianka River. In the village, a small landed estate of the Cracovian bishops dating back to the 18^th century and the ruins of a mill have survived to date. Without reaching the artificial lake, the route turns north to go back to Daleszyce through the fields at the foothills of Salkowa Hill.

The trail is easy, devoid of large hills, partly runs through forest roads and partly on asphalt roads. It is suitable for a recreational trip, but due to the fact that a part of the trail runs on quite busy roads it is not recommended for families with children.

Points of interest along the trail:

1. Daleszyce - market, church, wooden buildings
2. Panorama of the Ciśniowsko-Orłowiński Range
3. Słopiec - ruins of the watermill, bishop's landed estate
4. Suków-Papiernia - a monument to the victims of World War II.

Not all fragments of the trail are suitable for bicycles with panniers/bike trailers. The trail runs only on roads without road traffic or on local roads with a low and very low volume of road traffic; no dangerous intersections.

Starting point:

Daleszyce, market square

Finishing point:

Daleszyce, market square