Szczawno Zdrój to Kamienna Góra: Day 161

Steep climbs this morning, then by a pithead this afternoon.

The hotel was busy rearranging tables for an "event" this morning, the event manager shook my hand. Perhaps he thought I was the client, whereas I was trying to get breakfast. I managed to get scrambled eggs and coffee while a large group sat down nearby. They looked like three generations of the same family complete with bearded uncles. Maybe at the hotel for a wedding?

Leaving behind the flower bordered roads and fountains of Szczawno Zdrój I climbed through its suburbs into wooded hills. I knew there were two round, steep hills rising above the surroundings whose summits the E3 crossed. The first was the highest and after a bit of wandering around the blue route took it "head on", rising straight up through the trees. Loose stones and dirt slipped beneath my dusty feet, if it has been wet and muddy it would have been near impossible. Tree roots substituted for steps in places, but mainly it was hard work. Sweat dripped down my face and I had to keep mopping my brow with my now damp handkerchief to avoid sweat hurting my eyes.

Finally, I reached a clearing at the top. Numerous people were there having arrived by an easier track. There was an enormous cross made of metal bars which complimented crosses of a more tyical size with religious writings on, lower down the hill. More interesting was an old stone tower which had been converted into a tourist feature. Inside there were vending machines where I bought a Mars Bar and Coke. I smiled as it reminded me of my working days when a Mars Bar and Coke would be offered as an incentive to get a job finished. Possibly there was a way to reach the top of the tower, among the various aerials and dishes, but I felt I had climbed far enough.

The next mountain was slightly lower but also hard work with no reward at the summit, making me wonder what my incentive was for climbing it. The trees meant there was no panorama to admire.

After the two mountains I descended to Gorce. An old coal mining town, I knew that the pithead, the tower with the winding wheel to lift men and coal out of the mine, had been preserved at a museum. I diverted to see it but unfortunately the museum was closed. I had hoped to learn more of Silesia"s history as a coal mining area, however I was not unduly upset as I was short of time having been delayed by the steep climbs.

Another hill, more gentle this time took me to Czerny Bór, a large village where I bought an ice cream. Then it was gently undulating land by housing, through conifer forest and finally beside large brown fields, ploughed and tilled for seeding.

Kamienna Góra has the typical central cobbled square with mounds of flowers but most of the town.has a slightly depressed feel. I dinned at a restaurant which did not look too attractive outside in its dark side street but was bright and busy inside with local couples and families. Food was more than adequate.

Glinno to Szczawno Zdrój: Day 160

A castle, an unusual observation tower, an attractive spa town and the inevitable wooded hills today.

I left my camping spot in the woods as the sun was rising over the far hills, a jet high up was marking the blue sky with a white streak. Startled by my approach, a group of deer rushed across my path as I crossed grassland, I had also seen a deer last night but those were all my sightings this trip so far. A lady was tending to her cattle in fields near the village of Glinno, in which a few friendly dogs took an interest in me and my rucksack as I put new batteriesin my GPS. Then it was up and over a mountain through the woods to Grodno Castle. An old medieval castle which had a major make over with Rennaisance additions in the 16th century. The display of implements for torture made me worry about people's ability to inflict unbearable pain on others.

After looking around and climbing the tower, the attached coffee shop was still not open, so I descended to the village of Zagórze Śląskie. No cafe open there either and the shop was closed.

As I walked through the woodlands there were a few people out picking fungi that looked too large and misshapen to be mushrooms. However, with the numbers of those out searching for them anong the trees, maybe they are a particular variety of mushroom.

After briefly crossing another village I continued over a series of summits. Those creating the route of the E3 or the blue route it followed, wanted to make sure I climbed to all the high points of this mountain, which involved several ascents and descents, often steep. If there had been views it might have been worth it but all was obscured by trees. There was better news when I reached the following valley. This was an urban area, which gave the impression of being poor and neglected, I spotted two people collecting plastic bottles. However it did have a bakery where I acquired a large latte and a doughnut. 

The next mountain had an observation tower at the summit. Unusual as instead of stairs it had a spiral ramp that you walked up. I suppose it was to make it easier for disabled people although coming down in a wheelchair or mobility scooter would require good brakes. A group of less able people had been brought to the tower in what looked like a lengthened golf buggy. I wondered how many of them had made it to the up the tower. On top the steel structure swayed slightly in the wind as I looked over the tree tops at the wooded hills I had crossed and towns in the surrounding valleys. Some looked industrial with tall chimneys. Silesia was once an industrial area with coal mines so an industrial aspect was to be expected. At the base of the tower there was a stamp and inkpad so you could record your visit to the tower. I have seen similar stamps at other towers.

Tonight I am staying at an old spa town, developed for those seeking health benefits a century or so ago. Today, flowers in beds and baskets beside cobbled streets and promenades make for an attractive resort. They even had a promenade under cover for when it rained. I visited the pump room where I paid a few zlotys for a cup to fill with the allegedly healthy waters. Unlike at some spas the water tasted drinkable.

At my hotel, a renovated historic building fronted by grand columns, I enjoyed fish (dorada or sea bream), chips and salad for dinner at a price less than I expected for such a posh hotel. Outside a singer had trouble reaching the high notes.

Srebrna Góra to Glinno: Day 159

Another day walking over wooded mountains. 

Troubled by blisters on both my heals, which give a burning feeling whenever I set off before the pain fades, I tried this morning covering them with plasters. While not effective at stopping them hurting at least they are protected from my smelly socks.

My accommodation last night was on the mountainside a little below Fort Srebna Góra.  This morning I took my breakfast at a seat overlooking the view down to the plains of Silesia to the north. It was easy to see why the Fortress above me was located here, it commanded large swathes of land, or it did before trees were allowed to grow. They could now obscure the sight of any approaching enemy.

I began my day returning to the Fort. Then, for the next kilometre or so my route took me around the earthworks and walls of this exceptionally large structure. I walked along an embankment that ran outside a ditch, beyond which the high, rough stone walls of the Fort rose. Trees, growing all around me, hid the true scale of the construction. 

Continuing on more normal forest tracks I noticed vans with empty trailers heading downhill. These appeared to be used to bring mountain bike riders and their bikes up the hill so that they could ride down. Seemed very lazy to me.

Many kilometres of woodland followed, a lot of it beech trees, some very tall. Frequently I could hear the buzz of chainsaws and I passed a number of forest workers. For safety, when a lorry loading logs was taking up all the track and more, I made a wide detour stumbling among the undergrowth.

As the afternoon waned I had my sternest test. A long climb up to the top of Wielka Sowa (1015 metres). My reward was a stall where I bought an Americano coffee and a piece of cake. Large numbers of people and children were about. There was also a small chapel, an aerial and an observation tower which I climbed. The view was extensive. Buildings clustered into towns and villages on the fields of the plain to the north. Mountains upon mountains of tree covered mountains stretched in other directions, all highlighted by the sun, now low in the sky. My photos did not capture its beauty. I watched the crowds leave as 5 pm approached and a lady climbed to the top in order to lock up. I was glad she did not lock me in.

I decided to wild camp tonight as I was not sure how far I would get. There were still people around at 6 pm as I was walking along looking for a place to camp. These included two cyclists and a couple picking fungi, both popular pursuits in the forest. Leaving the track in the last stand of conifers before the village of Glinno, I found a spot among the trees, only slightly sloping to pitch up and well hidden from anyone passing. 

Bardo to Srebrna Góra: Day 158

Highlights today were two 18th century forts.

A leisurely breakfast listening to the breathy vocals of the soothing background music. I was annoyed the repetitious musical phrases stuck in my head as I walked along. Again it up and down over wooded hills with a couple of excessively steep sections I struggled up, gaining purchase on tree roots and exposed stone.

Helping me were the blue waymarks and I again saw a person painting them on trees. Although I have the route on my GPS, the waymarks stop me having to look at it too much, wasting battery life, and helps at forks where, due to the small angle between alternate tracks it can be difficult to tell from the gps which is correct.

I stopped for a snack on benches by a granite plaque. The plaque commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Polish Hunting Association, reminding me of a novel I had recently read. Written by Polish writer Olga Tokarczuk it is set in this area, centering about a lady hostile to the local hunters with good reason. By coincidence I am staying tonight at Villa Hubertus. Saint Hubertus is patron saint of hunters, despite giving up hunting after his conversion.

There have not been a great number of flowers about on this trip, maybe it is too late in the year. In addition to yarrow there were harebells and toadflax today. Large, graceful grasses arched over the path, identified by Google as wood small-reed.

Part of my walk was on an abandoned railway with a lengthy cutting dug into solid rock. According to a collapsed sign, fragments of which could still be read, it was the Srebna Góra section of a cog railway known as the "Sowe", built between 1900 and 1902. The E3 turned off the line just before a bridge, maybe fortunately as the structure was crumbling.

My walk was not a long one today and before 2 pm I arrived at Fort Ostróg. Built in the 18th century on one side of a key pass through the mountains, with Fort Srebna Góra on the other, together they defended the boundary of the Prussian Empire. The displays at Fort Ostróg mainly related to the Second World War when the Nazis used the Fort as a prison for Polish Officers, Oflag VIIIB. At that time the area of Silesia (the region of Poland I am in) was part of Germany. 

After touring the Fort and its small museum of military artefacts, I walked down to the pass, stopping for a coffee and cheesecake until it was time to check in at my accommodation under Fort Srebna Góra. Proceeding to this Fort I was given an English language audio tour to listen to. It told me how the Prussian King Frederick II had the fortress built to defend against the Austrian Hapsburg Empire.

Lądek-Zdrój to Bardo: Day 157

A long day trekking over tree covered mountains with two chapels.

As I planned to walk 33 kilometres with over 1000 m total ascent I started early, stepping over the newly washed floor in the hotel reception to return my key while the cleaner watched. 7 am was announced by the church bells as I walked across the cobbled square of Lądek. Early morning mist softened the buildings as I left the town and wetted the roadside grass. In the coolness of the whiteness that surrounded me I made fast progress along the flat valley base.

That came to an abrupt end as I climbed the steep slope up the first forested mountain while the golden sun vaporised the fog. Soon I was sweating and shedding a layer. Stone steps appeared before me, aged and randomly tilted up or downhill. As I ascended a red roofed chapel grew before me, fortunately placed on the hill's highest point. I could see the white interior of the "Chapel of Our Lady Help of Christians" through the metal gate preventing my entry. In the wooden porch was a visitors book where I left a few words. There were other religious monuments scattered around the site which I glanced at, stations of the cross and statues in the traditional style, although one carving of raised hands made out of a branched piece of wood looked more contemporary. Later I passed an unusual shrine close the the only busy road I crossed. Unusual as the Madonna was in a modern style.

Then it was down the other side of the mountain before climbing up the next one. This repetition continued for most of the day as I hike through conifer forests and mixed woodland. There were points of interest such as what looked like a old mine adit, a stone lined tunnel driven into the mountainside although Mapy.com suggests it was the entrance to a show cave. The associated snack bar was firmly closed and there was a rock outcrop constructed of grey glass fibre. On the map some of the paths were marked "SingleTrack" which I thought odd. Looking more closely at the wooden archway at the start of one of these tracks I realised they was related to mountain bike tracks.

As I neared the end of my walk I spotted a man painting the blue and white waymarks on the trees that I was following. I thanked him for his work. He said he was paid to do it however I made sure he knew his work was appreciated. First he was painting a white rectangle, later, when it had dried he would add the blue stripes. This meant for a little while I was following white rectangles.

The final mountain was reached by a steep track. At the top stood another chapel, this one from the 17th century, built where the Virgin Mary was seem weeping due to an impending war and the suffering it would bring. In front sat a dozen or so Polish Soldiers, two of them female. They were equipped for camping, I assumed it was a fitness exercise. As their equipment was not perfectly matching I wondered if they were reservist. Poland is building up its reserve force to deter any attack from Russia. 

There was a steep slope down from the chapel, with numerous stations of the cross, and many steps. My feet, especially my toes were suffering and I was extremely glad to reach the river. Despite the steepness it seemed a popular walk for people. One of those walking down was a lady who had slipped, I tried to help however it was mainly her companion who lifted her up, I am not sure I assisted much but you can only try.

After crossing the river on the older stone bridge that spanned it I headed for the coffee shop straight after. There I enjoyed a latte and a slice of miodownik (honey cake), a traditional cake in these parts although a bit crumbly. The coffee shop was called "Cudna" which means gorgeous. It remined me of a lady who had "really lovely" printed on her tee shirt.

A sign claimed my hotel was 500 metres away but it was nearer a kilometre and up a hill. Nevertheless there were some attractive old buildings and on the hill (Rosary Hill) there several small chapels. The hotel is quite expensive but booking.com gave me a "deal". All rather white, it is lacking in character to my mind.

Lądek-Zdrój rest day: Day 156

A day resting in an old spa town.

Lądek-Zdrój is really two places; Zdrój is an old spa town while Lądek is also old but more typical of a town in these parts. Walking there this morning to a bakery marked on Google Maps I found a typical cobbled square with a church in the middle. Apart from the spire the church was completely covered in scaffolding, a renovation project under way. In front was a Baroque sculpture with the gold highlights (such as stars around a saints head) which I was becoming familiar with. Both parts of Lądek-Zdrój are a mixture of new, old and decrepit. Grand old buildings from the 19th century have broken windows and bare brick where the rendering has been removed, maybe to prevent it falling on passers-by before there is money to replace it. Newly renovated buildings look stylish in pastel colours. Sprinkled among are modern constructions of variable merit. At the bakery in Lądek I intended to buy a croissant and coffee, except it was not a croissant that I pointed to but bread shaped in a similar crescent. Nevertheless it did for my breakfast.

As I returned to the Zdrój it began to rain as forecast, another good reason for a rest day. Cautiously I entered the main spa building in wet clothing, climbed up the stairs and admired the domed interior. People were sitting around waiting for their treatments (or else for the rain to stop). As it was too early for the café at the Pump Room I visited a nearby equally old café where I had a decent raspberry cheesecake and coffee (not a latte as I tried to ask for but good enough).

Most of the remainder of the day I spent bringing my blog up to date, washing, buying supplies etc.. Most nearby restaurants seem to close at 6 pm on a Monday, so I settled for a pizza as the restaurant that stayed open a bit later. Gorgonzola and pear with a non alcoholic lager with mint and lime.

E3 in Western Czechia; Some Comments

The E3 between Bumbalka and Králický runs through two types of landscapes: forested mountains and between them, lower hills with farmland and patches of woodland. 

To the east the mountains are the end of the Carpathians to the west of this section they are the start of the Sudety. The Sudety are covered with conifers, the Carpathians have more mixed woodland. Although there are no villages in these uplands there is accommodation each night at mountain hotels and huts, the wooden buildings at Pustevney in the east are particularly attractive. In the Sudety the hotels are at small ski resorts, but welcome tourists in summer.

In the lower, but still hilly, land between these mountains there are plenty of villages and small towns. Some have attractive squares and historic buildings such as the castle at Hradec nad Moravici.

All of the route is well waymarked and signed. The paths and tracks are normally good. There are a few observation towers on the route and being in Czechia, beer is widely available.