Rocky picnic

An exceptionally long weekend

Before the upcoming May weekend, many of us are thinking frantically how to spend it. Wherever you look, there will be advertisements encouraging you to choose this place, to come here. Where to spend this exceptionally long weekend? Go to the seaside or to the mountains? Or maybe take a fantastic holiday by the lakes? There are plenty of possibilities, and one of them is a slightly original idea for visiting… rock towns. After all, a picnic should stand out with something - after all, it is the first occasion for a holiday in the year, which is not a holiday break, but a holiday in itself. It's also the longest weekend of the year, so why not come up with something special for this time?

The more that the May weekend in 2013 will be exceptionally long. Those who plan their vacation in advance can enjoy up to nine days off from work.

The legends of the Petrified City

And where to start such a trip? What places in Poland are famous for their fanciful rock forms? Interesting and undoubtedly mysterious is the nature reserve (or more precisely the rock reserve) called the Petrified City. They can be found in Ciężkowice, in the south of Małopolska. One of the biggest attractions of the reserve is the so-called Wąwóz Czarownic ending with the Ciężkowicki Waterfall - a very picturesque place. There are several legends about the local rock forms. One of them tells about a treasure hidden at the foot of the Grunwald rock, which opens only once a year during the resurrection elevation in a nearby church. On the other hand, the second one states that the fanciful rock forms are the remains of a petrified city as a punishment - because of the debauchery of the inhabitants or their breach of the law of hospitality. It is true that the interesting shapes of rocks are the result of millions of years of erosion and weathering, not magic, but it is still worth going here and seeing them with your own eyes.

After visiting the reserve, you can take a trip to another rock town, this time located in the Czech Republic. The rocks can be found on the southern edge of the village of Adršpach (Adršpach). The local monuments include, among others a magnificent renaissance castle, besides, there are a few guesthouses in the village - it is a small, but liked by tourists, holiday resort. The picturesque Adrszpaskie Rocks stretching out in the vicinity belong to the National Nature Reserve "Adršpas-Teplice Rocks", and the Rock City is one of the most beautiful places in this land. Every year, thousands of tourists travel through vast labyrinths and deep gorges to see amazing rock forms with unique shapes. It is definitely worth taking a closer look at Mysia Dziura, the Lovers and the Sugar Chimney, the Dzban, Ząb, Starosta and Starościna are also interesting.

Rest among the rocks

About 6 km from Adršpach there is a small town called Teplice nad Metují. It is not only attractive, but also offers tourists several accommodation options - from hotels to intimate guesthouses. There is also quite a big camping here, Kamenec. An adult person will pay 60 CZK per night, half the rate for a child is charged, while a stand for a vehicle costs 70 CZK. Visitors praise this place very much, listing the advantages of the level of care, cleanliness of the area and utility rooms, as well as friendly staff service.

Approx. Teplicke Rocks are located 2 km from the town center. Tourists visiting it have a dozen or so kilometers of hiking trails and trails to cover, sometimes winding and quite steep - for this reason the region is popular among mountaineers and rock climbing enthusiasts. It is worth knowing that the International Festival of Mountaineering Films takes place in the city every year at the end of August. The blue trail stretching in the area is approx. 6 km long, and it takes about 2 hours to complete it. Local attractions include the ruins of Strzmen Castle (Střmen), accessed by a long path with many steep steps.

A rock town next to a Polish health resort

Returning to Poland, on the way, we can visit Náchod , a city that is particularly suited to the term "charming". The most beautiful monuments include the town hall and the palace at ul. Smiřických and the Church of St. Lawrence. There is a border crossing in the city, through which we will get to Kudowa-Zdrój, one of the most famous Polish health resorts. It will not be an exaggeration to say that the resort delights with its beauty - it is full of restored villas, which house guesthouses, sanatoriums and hotels. Kudowa-Zdrój attracts thousands of patients with three types of spring water, but not only them and not only them.

In the immediate vicinity of the health resort, there is a rock complex called Błędne Skały . The team creates a labyrinth of several hundred meters, running between various rock forms, such as rock mushrooms, pillars and clubs. Some of the rocks have their own names - visitors can see, among others Hen's Foot, Table Boulder and Kitchen. In the narrowest places, the rocks form corridors several dozen centimeters narrow, so the walk sometimes turns into squeezing between the cracks.

A camping among rocks and forests

As it was mentioned above, there are many guesthouses around the resort and in the center itself, but caravanning enthusiasts are interested in something else. You can stay overnight in Wolibórz (Nowa Ruda commune), where the "Leśny Dwór" is located, a year-round holiday resort with a camping site. The fee for a night's stay here is PLN 12 / day for an adult, PLN 21 for a motorhome, while children aged 7-18 and students pay PLN 8.

Wolibórz is a small village picturesquely situated at Garba Dzikowiec, in the valley of the Woliborka stream. Among such landscapes, you can relax and devise a further plan for a trip around other rock cities.