In May 2024, I flew to Poland to spend a month visiting family and discovering southern Poland. I am Polish by birth and hadn’t visited in a long time, so this would be a perfect opportunity to spend time with loved ones and learn about the country.
The first trail I rode, Szlak Orlich Gniazd or the Eagles’ Nests Trail, sounded easy enough to start off with. I was wrong, and as a result, I wasn’t physically ready. I also lacked technical skills to ride off road on rough terrains. Good news is, after a couple of rough days, jetlag didn’t help, my body adjusted and I picked up technical skills along the way. This trail ended up being a fabulous training ground for the mountains.
Szlak Orlich Gniazd is known for its castle ruins, picturesque limestone rocks, caves, deserts (yes, deserts) and forests. It’s located in southern Poland, and begins in Częstochowa and follows various castle ruins to Kraków. The castles are part of a medieval defensive system, and are referred to as the eagles’ nests, as they are built on top of high cliffs (I should’ve paid more attention to this 🙂 ). Excellent for history buffs, this trail offers a wide variety of surfaces, and ranges from easy riding on paved roads, to very technical terrain in the forest.
#bikepacking #cyclingpoland #bicycletouring
00:00:00 Adventure begins
00:00:13 Day 1
00:01:05 Zamek Olsztyn | Olsztyn Castle
00:02:09 Zamek Mirów | Mirów Castle
00:02:23 Day 2
00:02:46 Zamek Bobolice | Bobolice Castle
00:03:17 Day 3
00:04:15 Zamek Bąkowiec | Bąkowiec Castle
00:05:27 Zamek Ogrodzieniec | Ogrodzieniec Castle
00:07:31 Pustynia Błędowska | Błędów Desert
00:08:28 Day 4
00:09:20 Zamek Rabsztyn | Rabsztyn Castle
00:12:44 Day 5
00:13:20 Zamek Tenczyn | Tenczyn Castle
00:15:47 Wawel Royal Castle
🚲 Bike Bags
Front: Arkel Orca 25L https://alnk.to/aAKmKP9
Back: Arkel Orca 35L https://alnk.to/aAKmKP9
Handlebar Bag: https://alnk.to/5Q1UgPx
Frame Bag: https://alnk.to/44SksMu
Oveja Negra Chuck Bucket https://www.ovejanegrabikepacking.com/products/chuckbucket-handlebar-bag
🚲 Things I Brought on Tour
Bike Mirror https://amzn.to/3UTTomP
Yield Symbol https://amzn.to/3TyD8pY
Accessories Organizer https://amzn.to/3hseQkc
📸 My Filming Gear
MicroSD Card https://amzn.to/3NYtdsQ
360 Camera https://amzn.to/3g0W2s0
Action Camera https://amzn.to/3US3xQN
🌐 Follow Me
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wheelsonabike
Blog https://wheelsonabike.com/
☕ Buy Me a Coffee
If you enjoy my content and would like to get me a cup of coffee, thank you! buymeacoffee.com/wheelsonabike.
*** Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links. If you do make a purchase, I will make a small commission from the sale. Thank you for supporting the channel. ***
11 Comments
Hello, from the other side of the world.
Pozdrawiam .! Janek Z Nowego Yorku
The signage is in English?
Dzien’ Dobry,
Though I have no known Polish heritage, I have toured Poland by bicycle on two occasions including one as part of a longer tour from Gdansk to Riga in Latvia. The brick Malbork Castle is stunning. I have bike toured many countries of Europe, but Poland is one of my favorites. The language is far beyond my ability to comprehend, yet I never seemed to have problems communicating. The country is beautiful and there is so much history to appreciate. I can’t point to something specific, but the feel of the country is comforting.
Your next bike adventure, the Camino de Santiago………..on the Brompton….😬 The scenery is amazing. So much history. Thank you for sharing this. 🙏🏻👏👏👏👏🤘🏻
I still remember when you were saying that you were going on this adventure a long time ago when you miraculously met a polish couple before hand. Glad to see what became of it. It marked what I came to know as your dissapearance. At a certain point in this video you hinted at the differences between a touring bike and a backpacking bike. What's the difference?(possible video idea)
My grandfather (Dziadek) was Polish. I hope to see Polska one day have heard great things (and of course ate delicious Polski food growing up). Dziekuje for a great video Agnieszka!
What an amazing adventure!! Poland looks wonderful.
Other than a short stop in Krakow, Poland is terra incognito to me. Thanks for this video. You have a very pleasant voice!
This was so lovely Agnieszka! The castles were stunning and the landscapes so pretty. Hope you're keeping well 😍
Beautiful scenery!
Thank you for sharing.
You are a very brave cycling tourist!