Along the Baltic Coast
The Eurovelo 10 trail is a great idea for people who want to actively explore the Polish Baltic coast with beautiful beaches, dunes, and lighthouses. This trail is part of the route along the Baltic Sea, with nearly 8,000 km. It runs along the entire Polish coast. Originally, it begins in Świnoujście and ends in Krynica Morska or in another version past Braniewo. We will make the trip shorter. We will begin in Międzyzdroje and reach Hel. On our way, we’ll stop by several lighthouses, since our route also follows the lighthouse trail. As indicated by guides, this trail is a great option for avid cyclists. We will cover a distance of approx. 422 km in 6 days of cycling. An asset of this trail is the fact that lighthouses are most often located near the most beautiful Baltic resorts which give us a great opportunity to visit all these sites. The downside is that we must take a detour to reach some lighthouses.
Sailors – since time immemorial they’ve returned home led by the light of lighthouses. It was them who set out on long journeys, discovered new lands; they were conquerors, winners, but they also missed their families, had fun singing shanties and perished in the blue abyss. The formation of the Lighthouse trail does not surprise; it allows us to admire this mysterious world of marine expeditions. Although we can benefit from such an amazing development of technology and electronics used to equip ships and yachts, lighthouses will for many years be a showcase of our maritime landscape.
Our bike tour is directed to virtually every cyclist. We will start in Międzyzdroje and move east; after a six-day adventure, visiting the most interesting and beautiful places on the Baltic coast, we will reach Hel, where we will end our joint adventure.
Itinerary
DAY 01 | Meeting in Międzyzdroje.
In the evening we meet in Międzyzdroje, where all participants will sleep in one lodging; there, we will get to know each other more. After dinner together, we will take some time to relax to gain strength before the next five days of travel.
DAY 02 | Międzyzdroje – Mrzeżyno | 69 km | 515 m ascent | 530 m descent
On this day, we set off on our tour. We start from under the lighthouse in Międzyzdroje and continue towards the next one. Those will be lighthouses in Kikut and Niechorze. But first, we will see places like the ruins of the church in Trzęsacz, Dziwnów. We already feel like going there again at the mere mention of our tour in 2014. In the afternoon we will reach Mrzeżyno; perhaps after we are accommodated, we will enjoy the sunset and have dinner together..
DAY 03 | Mrzeżyno – Osieki | 72 km | 350 m ascent | 350 m descent
It’s already the second day of our trip. Rested and full of energy, we set off. Before us are more locations to visit. On the third day, we will visit and see three lighthouses on our way. The first is located in Kołobrzeg, while the next lies in Gąski. We will spend the night in Osieki, located on the right shore of Lake Jamno.
DAY 04 | Osieki – Ustka | 72 km | 340 m ascent | 350 descent
This will be our fourth day on the bike. On our route to Ustka, we will drive through Darłowo and Jarłosaiwec, where there are more lighthouses on our trail. We will spend the next night in Ustka, admiring another sunset. The treasure of this port city is a 4 km long golden beach. There is also another lighthouse in Ustka.
DAY 05 | Ustka – area of Łeba | ~84 km | 580 m ascent | 580 m descent
We have the longest section of our tour to cover. On the route, we will visit more lighthouses and places related to navigation. One of them is the lighthouse in Czołpin. On this day, our route will pass through protected areas as part of the Słowiński National Park. Its characteristic elements include coastal lakes, swamps, meadows, peat bogs, coastal forests, and coniferous forest, and above all a line of the sand bar moving dunes. We will spend the night in Łeba or its surroundings.
DAY 06 | Łeba – Jastrzębia Góra | 63 km | 440 m ascent | 415 m descent
In the morning, we set off on another part of our tour. After about 10 km of cycling, we will reach the Stilo Lighthouse. Another 50 km is a further trip through the coastal areas.
DAY 07 | Jastrzębia Góra – Hel | 47 km | 170 m ascent | 200 m descent
This marks our last day together. After breakfast, we head out on our shortest stage of the tour. Setting off, we will have the last lighthouses ahead. These will be places such as Rozewie, Jastarnia, the Swedish Hill and Hel. This is where we end our bicycle journey.
To summarise. The expedition is intermediate and you should be prepared in terms of endurance. The sum of elevations is 2400 m. This does not mean that there will be no climbs. There will be, but they will be short, The terrain will vary. There will be asphalt, terrain, sand, and gravel. That’s why it’s worth taking a mountain bike. We ride empty-handed, with only a small backpack with us. During the tour, we are accompanied by a support car that will allow us to carry baggage. We sleep in guesthouses, small quarters in rooms for 2-3 people with bathroom and breakfast.
WoW of the tour
Baltic Sea | Lighthouses: Międzyzdroje, Kikuty, Niechorze, Kołobrzeg, Gąski, Darłowo, Jarosławiec, Ustka, Czołpino, Rozewie, Jastarnia, Hel, Góra Szwedów | Jamno Lake | Słowiński National Park | beautiful beaches | dunes|
Tour details
The trip is moderately difficult, the challenge in this case lies in the fact of traveling 6 days in a row with panniers for about 70 km each day, as well as unpredictable weather and wind. During this trip basically everyone who drives a bike on a regular basis is able to manage. Due to the very varied terrain and surface, we recommend bringing a mountain or trekking bike with wider tires and a tread on the trip. It is a bicycle trip with a beautiful landscape which can be a very good introduction to the more difficult tours. Please keep in mind that you must prepare for the trip in terms of endurance. Level III difficulty – What does this mean? Click this link.
How to prepare for a tour?
During this tour, we are accompanied by a support car which will carry our baggage. However, to get the most out of this trip you must be prepared in terms of fitness. Before the tour, be sure to cover similar distances to those planned on a regular basis; if you can, try longer routes. The basis is also a functional bike, meaning mandatory MAINTENANCE of the bike before the tour.
Map and altitude profile
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- Day 01
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- Day 02
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- Day 03
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- Day 04
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- Day 05
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- Day 06
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DepartureMiędzyzdroje
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Departure TimeMeeting in hotel at 6 p.m.
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Return TimeWe finish in Hel at 3 p.m.
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Included6 x B&B Accommodation6 x dinnetenglish speaking guideluggage transporttransfer to Międzyzdroje from Krakow/Warsawtransfer from Hel to Warsaw/Krakow6 x lunch
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Not Includedentrance ticketsbicycle rentals
