Closed at home for so many weeks during the pandemic, we dreamed of a bike trip. At the end of May 2020, together with my kids and friends, we went to the “Polish Lake Garda”: Czorsztyn Lake, created in the 20th century by a flood dam on the Dunajec River, in the heart of the Pieniny National Park.
The park is not only the Three Crowns mountain and rafting on the Dunajec. It is also kilometres of well-prepared, modern bike paths. A full circle around Czorsztyn Lake is about 40 km. You can shorten it by 10 km by taking a water tram or boat across the lake between the castles of Czorsztyn and Niedzica. VeloCzorsztyn is part of a larger project, VeloDunajec / GreenVelo.
The route is easy, although the slope reaches 7% in places. The Maniowy–Czorsztyn section is calm, without demanding climbs, but when you have a choice, take the higher path. Breathtaking views guaranteed, and when the visibility is good you can see the Tatra Mountains. At times the winding path runs along the shore past small ports with yachts, like the coast of a Greek island.
Breathtaking views guaranteed
We crossed from Czorsztyn to Niedzica by water tram (my son called it a “pirate junk”). The 2 km crossing took about 15 minutes, and for the children it was the icing on the cake.
The next section was more demanding, and gave us the most emotions. The views of the lake from above make up for every hard metre of the climb.
Behind the dam is the only stretch where the bike path runs along a local road. It is well marked for cyclists; only on the narrow pavement of the bridge over the Białka River did some of us walk our bikes, to be safe.
While teaching the children that “who asks, does not get lost”, we found our way back to the bike path.
The last stretch was relaxed and scenic; for some of us it looked like Vietnam. We finished resting in hammocks, in light rain, over a great coffee at the WyskoczNa marina.
We were lucky with the weather: it was cloudy, and only started to rain once the bikes were back on the racks. The 30 km, with a water crossing, two long picnics and a few technical problems, took us about six hours. Two of the six cyclists were five and six years old. I recommend VeloCzorsztyn for its landscapes, and for the time spent with children and nature.
