Green Velo

An excursion of a typically recreational nature, with the main goal being the town of Rejowiec, where the founder of this settlement, Renaissance poet and prose writer Mikołaj Rej lived and worked. The route initially leads along a modern leisure and recreation embankment along the Uherka River to the reservoir in Żółtańce. During the trip, you can see, among others, a Classicist-Eclectic palace, a Classicist Uniate church and a neo-Gothic Catholic church.

The proud one will think that he has no equal… With this attitude, it is worth taking a trip that will satisfy the needs of even the most demanding lovers of two-wheelers and active leisure. The almost 50-kilometre route leads through diverse terrain, among places connected with the figure of renowned Renaissance poet, Mikołaj Rej. The route starts in the City Park on Armii Krajowej Street in Chełm, beside the statue of the white bear – the legendary hero of the city. The beginning of the route leads along the walking and cycling embankment through the park, along the Uherka River. The embankment leads directly to the reservoir in Żółtańce. Go past the reservoir and head along the Green Velo trail to the town of Depułtycze, and then turn right towards Rejowiec. The long section of even asphalt road, seldom used by motor vehicles, will motivate you to increase your tempo and test your physical fitness. The route approaches the Ossoliński Palace. Later, riding through vast meadows, you will reach Rejowiec. Continue travel towards Chełm and after leaving Rejowiec, you will ride alongside large fishing ponds. The northern section of the route, connecting Chełm with Rejowiec, leads along an asphalt road, but is not as smooth, and the numerous potholes require increased physical effort. After reaching the Green Velo trail, the route runs towards the centre of Chełm. From a distance, you can see the old town laid out on a hill, and in the sky, many gliders and small planes, since the road leads beside a school for future pilots. The cyclist-friendly infrastructure of the city allows for access to the most important historical monuments, including the admired from afar Marian Sanctuary on Chełm Hill, and for returning along the Green Velo trail to the park in Chełm.

Route:

• Chełm (0 km)
• Reservoir in Żółtańce (5 km)
• Depułtycze (12 km)
• Rejowiec (21 km) –
• Uher (33 km)
• Chełm (47.6 km)

Route options:

• Variant for families with small children at a distance of 20 kilometres. A trip around the reservoir in Żółtańce along marked bike paths. Route bypassing Rejowiec (single loop).
• Walking and cycling embankment along the Uherka River – a typically leisurely section, where you can play a game of chess, a table tennis match, or warm up your muscles before the coming effort at the “gym under the sky”.

 Surface:

• Majority of the route: asphalt road and cobblestone bike paths
• Return trip from Rejowiec: numerous potholes on asphalt road
• Strupin–Chełm: cycling road

Route partially marked:

• Marked walking and bike embankment along Uherka River and Green Velo trail
• Half the route: bike paths

Tourist attractions on the route:

• Reservoir in Żółtańce – south of Chełm, in the summer season, the favourite swimming area of the city residents.
• Ossoliński Palace – the most valuable historical monument of Rejowiec from the 18th–19th centuries. The Classicist building is situated in a landscaped park, surrounded by vast meadows.
• Rejowiec – a town founded by Mikołaj Rej, with a preserved urban layout, including a four-sided town square. Worth seeing are the neo-Gothic parish church, the former Uniate church and the oldest building on the town square from the 18th century, known as the home of Rej.
• Chełm – a district city with a medieval pedigree, with many valuable historical monuments.