The plan for that stage was more ambitious at first, but weather conditions verified it quickly. Hitting the road in Kudowa Zdrój, I turned into Słoneczna Street passing Ecocentre of Table Mountains National Park, crossing the road leading to Dańczów and in the end, arriving at Lewińska Pass (535 m a.s.l.) about 6 kilometres from starting point.

Route: Kudowa Zdrój to Duszniki Zdrój
Distance: ~ 15 km

The views until now were quite nice, despite gloomy and foggy atmosphere. The track took me through the fields and in one place there was even the gate for cattle with little wooden steps allowing hikers to pass. Something similar to what I experienced before in the Alps or New Zealand.

It’s another 3 kilometres of the gentle uphill walk towards Grodziec (803 m a.s.l.). Here I need to stop to wear rainjacket and put a rain cover on my backpack as what was initially a small shower, turned into heavy rain. There is not too much joy in such a walk and for the first time came through my mind the idea of shortening the walk for today and staying for the night in Duszniki Zdrój.

After 2 kilometres of descent from Grodziec, I arrived at the crossroad with the blue trail leading towards the ruins of Homole Castle from XIII-XIV century. As it’s only 10-15 minutes detour, I decided to check it out. The route was an easy one. First wooden boardwalk and then steps leading to the top of the castle hill. I was really happy to see the bench there as I could take off my backpack, make a sandwich and enjoy the moment without rain. I was the only person there and the fog made the atmosphere very unique.

When it comes to the ruins, there is not much left to explore and I simply walked around something that used to be the tower.

All the remaining way to Duszniki Zdrój is on a slightly downhill route, the only difficulty being mud. After around 4 kilometres, I was already in the office of tourist information, asking for their recommendation of an overnight stay. My preference was PTTK Hut Under the Muflon, however, they were fully booked. In COVID-19 times it’s better to always call and ask in advance for availability. I ended up in Agrotourism at Baltazar which happened to be quite far from the centre.

It was only around noon, so having the rest of the day free, I decided to visit the Museum of Papermaking. The ticket costs 22 PLN and it’s an interesting place to kill an hour or two. Their permanent exhibition is about the history of paper and the way it is made in the world as well as more specifically in the Silesia region of Poland. The interesting part is that you can observe the whole process live and even take part in the workshops.

Other than that, Duszniki Zdrój is another spa town en route Main Sudetes Trail and according to me, one of the most charming ones. Spa treatments began in 1751 and in 1822 pump room with mineral waters was built. During next years, development continued and many famous people visited the town, such as Frederic Chopin, who gave two charity concerts in 1826 and Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, German composer. Frederic Chopin Theatre, established in the place where Chopin gave his concerts, as well as market square are worth to have a look too.

That was it for that day. I walked all the way back to the accommodation where I stayed for the remaining part of day, simply resting and eating tons of fruits that I bought in local supermarket!

Wambierzyce town is located at around 204th kilometre of the Main Sudetes Trail and Kudowa Zdrój at 232nd. It means that somewhere between these two, I should celebrate half-way of my adventure! I was looking forward to that day also because of another reason. The track leads through the scenic Table Mountains and from what I saw online, I had all the reasons to believe that it’s gonna be awesome!

Route: Wambierzyce to Kudowa Zdrój
Distance: ~28-30km

The beginning of the day was quite miserable due to boring terrain, asphalt roads and light rain. It started to look better after 4th kilometre when I passed Studzienno and entered the Table Mountains National Park. The path was going up towards Rogacz (707 m a.s.l.). More and more weird rock formations looked at me from behind the trees. Exactly what I had been waiting for!

The terrain here is totally unbelievable and it looked even more unbelievable in cloudy and a bit foggy weather conditions. The shapes of some rocks resemble huge mushrooms, hence its name – Mushroom Rocks (Skalne Grzyby). They owe it to erosion progress of sandstone, which is way faster in the lower parts of the rocks. I admit I spent a lot of time photographing everything but it’s always a learning process to become a better photographer. Honestly, it doesn’t matter how much time I take for my shots, I am never fully satisfied with the end result. Maybe it’s lack of talent or maybe endless pursuit for perfection.

Anyway, from Rogacz it’s around 5,5 kilometres to the parking lot at Stormy Meadow (Burzowa Łąka). As always, parking lots mean that there could be more people around and the rule proved to be right also that time. I mean more people for the Main Sudetes Trail standards because usually, it was rather no people at all. Even here it wasn’t as busy as one could expect. Tourism in COVID-19 times hasn’t come back to shape yet.

The track continues of the mostly flat path called The Road Over The Cliff for further 5 kilometres. At some point, there is a small path going right (5 minutes detour). Walk it till the end and you will understand the meaning of that name. Then, the next major landmark is the Great Szczeliniec (Szczeliniec Wielki, 919m a.s.l.).

Even though the red track doesn’t lead to the top, it’s hard to resist a detour. It’s a tiring way up on the stony stairs but the place was definitely one of the biggest highlights of the day and should not be missed. There is a mountain hut at the top, in case you are in need of a hot meal or drink. The way down is even better and I recommend taking the paid alternative. It’s only 12 PLN and hiking through the amazing maze of rocks takes about 1 hour. The formations are incredible! Some parts may be very narrow and tricky with a big backpack, but it’s doable.

After the descent, I reached Karłów which is a midpoint of GSS. I felt big satisfaction of what I achieved so far and maybe it made me lose concentration and as a result, I took a wrong turn following red track but for ski runners, not hikers. Honestly, I find it very misleading to use the same colours and it took me a long time to realize that something is wrong. The signage could definitely be improved. Mapa-turystyczna.pl helped me to find my way but the whole situation cost me at least 1 hour and a few useless kilometres in my legs. Just pay attention here and don’t turn right too early. The track follows an asphalt road leading to the Errant Rocks (Błędne Skały) which is around 5 kilometres from Karłów. I had to speed up as the place was closing at 5 pm. The advantage of late arrival (4:10 pm) was that there were only a few other tourists.

The whole attraction is very similar to the Great Szczeliniec and doesn’t make such a big impression if you have already visited the other one. Crossing with the backpack was really difficult and I had to take it off in many places, struggling to push it through. I suggest to leave the luggage at the ticket office and simply come back to collect it afterwards. By doing that, your walkthrough should be much more enjoyable.

Last part of the day was made by a long (~7km) descent to Kudowa Zdrój. I was really, really tired and still had to walk to the other side of the town as I didn’t pay too much attention to the localization of my guesthouse when booking it. Don’t get me wrong, the localization was awesome, but at that moment every 100 meters mattered. In the end, the day was finished with 38 kilometres on my Endomondo training.

I can fully recommend Guest Rooms Under Lions (Pokoje Gościnne pod Lwami). Super friendly owner and very close to the main attractions of the towns in case you want to do some sightseeing. And obviously, you should do that!

What to see in Kudowa Zdrój?

The history of the spa town dates back to the beginning of the 17th century when information about the positive effects on the health of the mineral waters from Kudowa springs appeared for the first time. Only a hundred years later, bottles filled with them were regularly sent to the royal court in Berlin.

Skull Chapel

In the small building located in Czermna (one of the districts of Kudowa Zdrój) there are about 23 thousands of human skulls all over the walls and ceiling. Father Tomaszek, collected human remains that remained in the surrounding fields after the Thirty Years ‘War in 1618-1648, the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) and the great plague of 1680. As no one was able to provide the deceased with a proper burial, and the dogs were digging up bones from the ground, the priest decided to take care of them by moving to the chapel and crypt. It is believed that he got the idea during his trip to Rome, after visiting the local catacombs.

Spa Park

It was established in the 18th century on the model of English parks and significantly expanded in the 19th century. Nice place to walk around! There is a small lake, fountains as well as a forested hill for those looking for a more challenging stroll. Mineral waters are available in drinking room.

Trail of Vanishing Trades

A time spend here is like a journey back to the past, to learn about the jobs our ancestors did, such as blacksmithing, baking bread, pottery or knitting. There is also a mini ZOO which should entertain the children for a while. Overall it’s a pretty small open-air museum, so unless you have the time to kill or you are really interested in the topic, give it a miss.

Other less impressive sights in town include: Museum of Minerals, Museum of Toys or Museum of Folk Culture of the Sudety Foothills.

I was quite optimistic about that day. The distance seemed to be just fine and there was not too much of the elevation difference. I set off from the accommodation at Silver Mountain as usual, at around 8 am and 20 minutes later I was at Silver Pass, joining the red track and heading to the Bardzkie Mountains.

A gentle walk for 4 kilometres took me to Czech Forest (Czeski Las, 621 m a.s.l.) from where it was easy descent for another 3 kilometres to Czerwieńczyce. Nothing too spectacular here. Typical Polish countryside, which would seem to be totally dead if not some chickens running around.

Route: Silver Mountain to Wambierzyce
Distance: ~ 25-26 km

My next target was Słupiec. First, the path leads in the forest but in the end, I got out of it and continued on through farmlands with the blocks of flats in the town visible on the horizon.

Słupiec was connected with Nowa Ruda in 1973. It’s an industrial city with a history strongly connected to mining, therefore from a touristic point of view it isn’t very attractive. However, I made a short break here, mainly to fly a drone around colourful blocks of flats built for miners and the mine itself.

After Słupiec is the most challenging part of the day – 2 kilometres ascent to Kościelec (647 m a.s.l.) where you can find a viewing tower (really nice panorama) and a church a little bit further.

It’s around 5 km from Kościelec to Ścinawka Średnia and here the track starts to get really muddy after last days of rain. Hiking poles are useful to navigate through the difficult terrain and no to fell down in the mud with a heavy backpack. Asphalt road starts around 2 kilometres before the village so my pace increases. Unfortunately, it also starts to rain.

The last section of the day (around 5.5 km) leads mostly through the meadows with the beautiful Table Mountains visible on my right side. I could only imagine how nice it would be to fly a drone here, but electronics and rains don’t like each other. Finally, I reached the Christian monument or something that looks like one and turned right, having huge Basilica of the Visitation of Our Lady in Wambierzyce in front of me.

This town is soooo weird. I can understand the huge church in the centre, as it is in many cities, towns and villages. Poland is ultra catholic. But in Wambierzyce literally everything has a biblical name and is somehow put in a biblical context. On the other hand, there is a local grocery shop just in front of the basilica, with local old guys standing with beers in their hands the whole day doing nothing. That’s it about religiousness.

If that wasn’t enough, the cheapest option for the night happened to be at the Pilgrim’s House. It felt a little bit weird to stay there as non-catholic but who cares. They serve good schnitzel which let all my doubts go away 🙂

Nearly 30 km to go, no time to waste. Hiking or not, breakfast is always an important meal and somehow it just sets the mood for the rest of the day. I went for pancakes with cheese and red berries at Andrzejówka Hut. The portion is huge. Finished the first pancake and took the second to eat later, somewhere in nature.

Route: Andrzejówka Hut to Zygmuntówka Hut
Distance: ~ 28-29 km

The track begins rather moderately and after less than a kilometre, I am at Turzyna (898m a.s.l.) from where it’s another 3 kilometres to the ruins of Rogowiec castle. For castle enthusiasts – nothing much to see here, but as a viewpoint, it’s totally worth a stop. To get to the ruins I have to leave the red track and follow the yellow one which later on merges with red again, making it a super easy detour.

Now it’s time for 2 kilometres of easy descent through the forest towards Rybnica Mała. I am not far from Jedlina Zdrój but first I need to go up to Wawrzyniak Pass (568m a.s.l.) and cross the railway tracks before entering the town.

The track crosses the road 381 and leaves the town immediately, but it is worth to take a short detour and check out Jedlinka Palace. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the place was open for tourists only on the weekends, so I couldn’t go inside. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful building to see from the outside and have a lunch break on the grass in front of it. The building was built at the beginning of the 17th century as a baroque manor house. In the years 1944–1945, it housed the design office of the Nazi Todt Organization and is closely connected to many other Nazi locations in the Owl Mountains and Włodarz Massif.

After the lunch break, it’s time to sweat. The track climbs to Marcowa Pass. It’s already after 1 PM, so the temperature doesn’t make it easier. It’s a scenic fragment of the track though! After Marcowa Pass (Przełęcz Marcowa) it becomes flatter and here I met a couple following Main Sudetes Trail as well, but not in one push like me but they split over a couple of visits in the region. The guy seems to be a real hiker with huge experience in Polish mountains so it’s a pleasure to listen to his stories and the time (and distance) flies fast until we reach the Eagle’s Pass (Przełęcz Sokola).

First issues with the weather appeared when I saw dark clouds on the horizon, the sun was burning like crazy and I couldn’t stop the feeling that it had to end with a storm. 8 kilometres left to Zygmuntówka Hut but on the most difficult terrain of the day.

I started the ascent from Eagle’s Pass (754m a.s.l.) to the Great Owl (Wielka Sowa – 1015m a.s.l.). There was a lot of people on the track, going to the observation tower. Dark clouds were getting closer and I could already see the lighthouse-like construction at the top of the Great Owl when I heard the first thunder.

I didn’t go up the viewing tower but rushed towards my final destination. Seems that not too many people venture beyond as the track became totally deserted. Luckily it’s mainly downhill so I was moving really fast. Unfortunately, the wind was getting stronger and stronger and I knew it’s only a matter of minutes to feel first drops of rain on my head. It started around Kozia Równia, so 2 kilometres before Zygmuntówka Hut. I put a rain jacket and rain cover on my backpack and continued walking for another 1 kilometre. Suddenly, the rain started to be simply insane and thunders were getting launder. Luckily, I noticed a wooden structure, full of rubbish and empty beer bottles inside, but good enough to spend next hour there waiting for the storm to calm down.

I knew I am very close to the hut, but it really didn’t make sense to push in such weather conditions. After a perfect sunny day with blue sky, a few hours later everything was covered in clouds and the temperature was dropping together with heavy rain. Quite common in the mountains, isn’t it?

I reached the hut totally soaked, yet satisfied. It was a challenging day without the happy ending but damn, so enjoyable. After all, that storm will stay in my memories and I created my own happy ending – with the Owl’s beer (Sowie).

After most of the previous day spent in Krzeszów, when the weather was rainy, then sunny, then stormy again I was really happy to wake up and see perfectly blue sky. It always gives some extra boost of energy in the morning!

The plan for today was to reach Andrzejówka Hut and spend the night there. Due to COVID-19 and uncertainty what is open and what is still closed, I gave them the call to confirm availability. They said they are in the middle of renovation but still have some rooms available and I am welcomed. Great news! After the night spent in Odrodzenie Hut in Karkonosze Mountains, I had only good memories and was looking forward to staying again in a proper mountain hut rather than private accommodation in the village.

Route: Krzeszów to Andrzejówka Hut
Distance: ~ 22 km

For the first 2 kilometres after leaving Krzeszów, the track takes me uphill towards Mount of Saint Anna (Góra Św. Anny), where I can have a closer look at the chapel seen the day before from a drone. From here, I look for a very last time to the panorama of Krzeszów.

Then, it’s another 4 kilometres through the area called Hills of Krzeszów (Krzeszowskie Wzgórza) to the village Grzędy. Mostly in the forest, however as I get closer to the village, the forest is left behind and I see huge fields of yellow-blooming rape. It seems to be a great scenery for drone footage, therefore it’s time for a short break. With a drone, I discovered something that otherwise I only heard from the distance – melaphyre mine.

From Grzędy, the next destination is Sokołowsko, roughly 10 kilometres away but with significant ascent (~450m) and descent, passing through mountains, such as Mount Sucha (Sucha Góra – 767 m a.s.l.), Great Lesista (Lesista Wielka – 854 m a.s.l.) and Ostrosz (792 m a.s.l.).

But after walking through the Grzędy village, the most unpleasant section of the day begins. First, it’s over 2 kilometres walk on an asphalt road with cars passing by and then when it’s time to get back to the forest, the track is so poorly marked that I couldn’t find a way without double-checking it in the phone. It goes left into which seems to be a backyard of somebody’s house, but after you pass it, there is, in fact, a proper road. Moments like this give me a lot of frustration. Nowadays you can find detailed maps and descriptions online, but on the other hand, it would be so easy to mark it. Yet, no one cares. I would suggest to save yourself time as well as nerves and always have at hand mobile map, such as the one at www.mapa-turystyczna.pl

The steep descent from Great Lesista takes me all the way to the crossing with road 35 and then again the walk on asphalt road begins. Not pleasant at all, especially in full sun. In about half an hour I am at Sokołowsko and here I made short detours around the town to check out the sights.

In 1849 countess von Colomb arrived at the village, which had a significant impact on its further development. She found the area so nice and relaxing that she went one step further and persuaded her brother-in-law, Doctor Hermann Brehmer, to open a health resort. In 1855, worlds first specialized tuberculosis sanatorium was ready and the village was named after Professor Alfred Sokołowski, Brehmer’s co-worker.

Shortly after entering the town, I find old Sanatorium Grunwald on the right side of the road. After the fire in 2005, today it’s still a ruin, however there are works going on at some day it may come back to the old glory.

Turning right into Parkowa Street, I reach Orthodox church of St. Michael the Archangel. It was built to meet the religious needs of patients who came in large numbers from Russia.

Other than that, it’s just nice to walk around and admire old buildings and architecture, of once popular and today forgotten by the world spa town.

From Sokołowsko, the fun begins as according to my resources, the ascent to Bukowiec and into Dry Mountains (Góry Suche) is one of the steepest on the track. I meet a group of people that just went down and I see big smiles on their faces when they see me walking the opposite way. Well, if I didn’t like to go up and down, then I wouldn’t go to the mountains 🙂 It was steep. It was tiring. It took me quite some time and around 3-4 breaks on the way up. I think the main problem was my heavy backpack and the fact that I already had some kilometres in my legs.

From here, only ~2.5 km left to Andrzejówka Hut and the section was mostly in the forest, having another melaphyre mine on the left side, which couldn’t be clearly seen but could be clearly heard.

Andrzejówka Hut was not as remote as mountain hut should be, at least to match my expectations. To be honest, it isn’t remote at all, there is an asphalt road leading to it from one side so there is a lot of day visitors walking around and enjoying food and drinks. By then I didn’t know yet that it’s rather normal in the Polish mountains. Mountain huts are like restaurants giving you an option to stay for the night, rather than remote shelters to which you have to carry your own food and fuel, as it was during my hikes in New Zealand. Well, now I know.

The room had 2 bunk beds but due to COVID-19 restrictions, I was the only one in the room. I enjoyed dumplings, apple cake and a coffee at a terrace and started planning the next day.