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 entrance of 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 mushrooms, 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.
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