Green Velo

The "By the Faithful River" bike trail is signposted in a blue, and is less than 40 kilometres long, looping west of Kielce. The road is marked out mainly on local asphalt roads. Occasionally there are also forest sections.

On the trail, several interesting sights, such as the Piekoszów sanctuary, or the ruins of the Tarłów palace in the village of Podzamcze Piekoszowskie, can be found. The trail also offers nice views of the panorama of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and Chęciny castle.

The route in the first part is quite hilly, in the second rather flat, but not too demanding. It is suitable for a several-hour, recreational cycling trip. It is advisable to take a map along with you because the trail signposting is quite damaged.

The general route of the trail is as follows: Piekoszów, sanctuary (0.0 km) - Łaziska (2.1 km) - Gałęzice (9.3 km) - Miedzianka (14.9 km) - Zajączków (17.5 km) - Wierna Rzeka (20.5 km) - Łosień (28.5 km) - Micigozd (34.8 km) - Piekoszów (39.8 km).

The trail starts in Piekoszów. It is a small municipal village, located less than 10 kilometres west of the centre of Kielce, on the northern edge of the Chęciny Range. In the centre of the village, a beautiful church dating back to the 19^th century houses a Marian sanctuary. In the vicinity of Piekoszów, metal ores have been mined for centuries and mineral resources have been exploited. Some quarries are currently closed, but some are still operational even today.

From the village of Piekoszów, the trail runs to the south. The route rises because it runs towards the highest part of the Chęciny Range. On the west side there is Moczydło Hill, on the top of which a Rock Reserve was established to protect the remains of mining tunnels. The lead ore and silver ore, called galena, was mined from the 17^th to 19^th  centuries.

The trail turns west and runs through the village of Gałęzice. Here, in the quarry on the slopes of Mount Stokówki, there is a popular site for practicing rock climbing. In the limestone walls, several dozen routes have been marked up to 15 meters in height.

The trail continues towards Mount Miedzianka. This is the highest elevation of the range, consisting of three peaks, reaching 365 meters. In the mountain, the tunnels of the former copper mine have survived, hence the name of the mount [“miedź” meaning copper in Polish]. In total, there are reportedly five kilometres of caves and side adits. It is worth climbing the rocks at the top of Miedzianka. This offers a vast panorama of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, and Chęciny Castle is also clearly visible. At the foothills of Mount Miedzianka there is a Museum of Ore Mining.

The trail continues down, running into the valley of the Łososina River. It was in this area that the January Uprising events took place which served Stefan Żeromski as an inspiration for the plot of his novel titled "The Faithful River". The manor house in which the plot takes place was reportedly located in Ruda Zajączkowska, and the Łososina River is "The Faithful River" depicted in the novel. The current names were given to commemorate the story described by the writer.

The part of the route from Piekoszów to the Faithful River is definitely the most interesting in landscape terms and it abounds in tourist attractions. However, the northern section is less varied, runs through more monotonous areas, mainly roads through villages. The route loops through the villages of Łosień and Micigozd, returning to Piekoszów from the north.

At the end of the trip, the ruins of the Tarłów family palace in the village of Podzamcze Piekoszowskie are worth visiting. This Baroque building dating back to the 17^th century was erected as a copy of the Kielce palace of bishops. This huge mansion house burned down in the 19^th century and has since then been a permanent ruin.

Points of interest along the trail:

1. Piekoszów - sanctuary
2. The "Moczydło" Nature Reserve
3. Gałęzice - climbing routes in the Stokówka quarry
4. Miedzianka - a vantage point, a mining museum
5. The Faithful River - places connected with the novel written by Stefan Żeromski
6. Podzamcze Piekoszowskie - ruins of the Tarłów family palace
7. Views of the hills of the Chęciny Range (landscape park)

The trail runs only on the roads without road traffic or on local roads with a low and very low volume of road traffic; no dangerous intersections. The trail is especially recommended for families with children and children's trailers. A recreational trail. Trail offering outstanding vistas.

Starting point:

Piekoszów, a sanctuary

Finishing point:

Piekoszów, a sanctuary