Green Velo

Since this route is nearly 70 km long, we would suggest it’s more suitable as a day trip for cyclists with some experience in doing long-distance rides. As you make this loop, you will visit towns where industry developed within the Old-Polish Industrial Region. It is also an area where partisans fought numerous battles against German troops during the Second World War. Most of the route follows a section of a blue bike trail called “Traces of Technical Monuments in the Kamienna River Valley”, and you will mainly stay within a forested area, with asphalt roads making up the majority of the route. Since you’ll be riding on some gravel roads, and also going through some challenging forest sections on dirt paths, we’d recommend using a cross bike.

Skarżysko-Kamienna (0.0 km) → os. Pogorzałe (2.9 km) → Partisan Cemetery (7.7 km) → Hucisko (17.8 km) → Huta (22.1 km) → Niekłań Wielki (30.6 km) → Stąporków (36.3 km) → Nowy Odrowążek (44.4 km) → Świnia Góra (49.5 km) → os. Rejów (64.6 km) → Skarżysko-Kamienna (69.5 km)

• Lenght: 69.5 km
• Time: 7 hours (9 hours with sightseeing)
• Type: Cross
• Elevation: 763 m
• 75% asphalt roads, 17% gravel roads, 8% unpaved roads
• Difficult
• Partial marking, blue bike trail with stretches of red, green and yellow trails

Getting there and starting out

The trip starts by the railway station in Skarżysko-Kamienna, which you can reach via a direct train connection from Warsaw, Kielce, Radom, Starachowice or Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, among others. If you’re arriving by car, you can leave it in the car park in front of the train station.

Technical description

Initially, you will be following the markings for a red bike route and also a yellow hiking trail. From Skarżysko-Kamienna railway station, take Aleja Niepodległości towards a small city park. The paths within the park will lead you to ul. Sporna, which then becomes ul. Sezamkowa. From ul. Wiejska, turn into the forest next to the seat of the forest district. The path then leads uphill to Pogorzałe. Take the flyover across to the other side of the expressway and head into the forest again. A difficult stretch then takes you to the Partisan Cemetery. Next, follow the green bike trail, which uses an asphalt road that is closed to traffic. After that, switch to the blue bike trail that follows the historic sites in the Kamienna River Valley. You will see a sign pointing to a national remembrance site: a monument 200 m off the route that is dedicated to the Home Army soldiers killed by the Nazis near Hucisko on 27 August 1944. Next comes a major uphill which ends in that same village. A hilly section then leads through the villages of Leszczyny, Huta and Antoniów. In the last of these, there is an obelisk commemorating the victory of Home Army soldiers in a battle with Nazi troops on 21 August 1944. A little further along, you will pass a forest car park, which is the starting point for trails leading to the “Skałki Piekło pod Niekłaniem” nature reserve. There is also a spring near the car park. After arriving in Niekłań Wielki, you will pass a brick-built water mill on the Czarna River on the right-hand side, and a former manor park on the right. When you get to the eastern part of Stąporków, you can take a break and have a rest at Miła Reservoir. In Pardołów, there is another monument dedicated to fallen soldiers, but then the ride gets a little bumpier between Włochów and Nowy Odrowążek due to the road surface. Stretching out before you now is the extensive protected forest complex of the Suchedniowsko-Oblęgorski Landscape Park. Go past the forest hamlet of Świnia Góra, behind which lies the Świnia Góra Nature Reserve. At the intersection with a shrine of St. Hubertus, take a sharp right turn. Continue on, riding through the Dalejów Forest Nature Reserve. A little further along, you will see a sign pointing to the place where Władysław “Oset” Wasilewski died in combat. At the next intersection, there is an obelisk commemorating the partisans who participated in the Raid on Kielce Prison. A gravel road leads to the first buildings of the Rejów district of Skarżysko-Kamienna, where the White Eagle Museum is well worth a visit. On the opposite side of the road are the ruins of the blast furnace of the Rejów ironworks. The route then goes along the top of the dam on Rejów Reservoir. Past the flyover, a short section of the route will follow a path between some meadows. Take the small bridge to cross to the other side of the Kamienna River, and the trail ends back at the railway station in Skarżysko-Kamienna.

Attractions along the way:

Partisan Cemetery near Skarżysko-Kamienna

This cemetery from 1943 is the final resting place for members of the partisan groups led by Jan “Ponury” Piwnik and Antoni “Szary” Heda. Every year, religious services are held here, attended by local residents, representatives of the authorities, and soldiers. A number of tourist trails lead here, including a yellow hiking trail and a red bike trail from the centre of Skarżysko-Kamienna.

 Skałki Piekło pod Niekłaniem Nature Reserve

This nature reserve is famous for its fantastic rock formations, formed in Triassic and Jurassic sandstone by the effects of erosion. They include natural sculptures shaped like mushrooms, pulpits and tables. Stretching out over an area of around 1 km, they can reach up to 8 m in height. A rare variety of fern classed as a mountain species – the northern spleenwort – can also be found in the rock crevices.

 Świnia Góra Nature Reserve

This nature reserve on the slope of the mountain from which it takes his name protects the natural old tree stands found there, which are some of the most beautiful in Poland. Its firs and larches, which reach impressive heights, are a reminder of the former Świętokrzyska Forest.

 Dalejów Nature Reserve

This valuable natural area protects the Polish larch, a subspecies of the European larch. The age of the tree stands, which are the remains of the former Świętokrzyska Forest, is estimated to be around 150-180 years old.

White Eagle Museum in Skarżysko-Kamienna, Rejowski Reservoir

Located in the former ironworks in the district of Rejów, the museum’s collection includes rare weapons and armaments from World War II, as well as equipment used by the Polish Army during the post-war years. It has unique exhibits spread out over an area of 1.5 ha, allowing visitors to explore the interior of a plane or helicopter, see an anti-aircraft rocket launcher, or take a ride in an authentic armoured vehicle. The museum also presents the history of Skarżysko-Kamienna, which was once one of the main hubs of the Old-Polish Industrial Region (and of the Central Industrial District in the interwar period).

ul. Słoneczna 90, tel. +48 41 252 02 31, www.muzeum.skarzysko.pl

The artificial lake on the Kamionka River, called Rejów Reservoir, is now a popular leisure attraction.