Stawy Milickie - weekend in Wielkopolska
Although it is still cold outside and the sun is only shyly sticking out the nose from behind the clouds, thirsty for camper experiences and encouraged by nice weather, we went for our first weekend with a camper this season. Of course, as usual on the day of departure, the so far beautiful weather had turned bad, but what could be done - we took warmer clothes, stocked ourselves up with water for tea and left Kalisz right after work.
1. My Will - Pine
Right behind Odolanów, in the small town of Sośnie, there is a unique Moja Wola manor house. Currently falling into disrepair, it is an extraordinary architectural structure whose façade is covered with ... bark. It looks worse and worse every year, so it's worth seeing it before it completely falls apart. We parked at the renovated Stanica Harcerska and then, through a beautifully wooded park, we reached the manor house. The facility is closed (which is a pity, because the inside is also nice), but it is accessible to visitors from the outside.
2. Campus Domasławice
We chose Campus Domasławice for the night - located near the Milickie Ponds, which were the destination of our weekend trip. Campus itself, although the season has not started yet, makes a very good impression. There are houses for rent, a restaurant (closed so far), separate areas for campers, sports fields, a rope park for kids, a small pond and many other attractions - all of them still smelling new, in a quiet (not to say secluded) :)) the area. Currently, the campus is being expanded, so it looked like a construction site, but we will definitely come back in the summer. Despite the low temperature, we went crazy in the rope park, replenished our drinking water supplies (the temperature made us drink hot tea :)) and slowly moved on.
3. Milickie ponds
Milickie ponds are an attraction not only for fishing enthusiasts (and for these numerous fisheries and fish bars will be an additional magnet). There is an interestingly designed bicycle path in the vicinity of Ruda Milicka, referring to the style of the narrow-gauge railway. There are many interesting stops on the route with a lookout tower, bird observation point and a forest management museum. The entire area of the ponds is a perfect place for cyclists due to low traffic and extraordinary natural values. During trips, you should only be careful not to enter the protected areas, and there are a lot of such in the reserve. We stopped in a well-kept parking lot near the bird observation point and we were lucky - we managed to spot white-tailed eagles!
In Niesułowicka inn Stary Młyn you can eat delicious regional cuisine (including a lot of vegetarian ones - which we were very happy with :)) and see a lot of information materials about the region. An attraction for kids will also be a huge sea aquarium standing in the main room. After a tasty meal, we went to our friend's agritourism, in a small village near Milicz - there is a lot of accommodation of this type here. Most of them gladly accept campers, organize canoeing trips along the Barycz Valley and provide other attractions (bonfires, horse rides, workshops). We also visited the ruins of the castle in Milicz and after the evening feast we went for a well-deserved rest.
4. The Barycz Valley
Sunday morning greeted us with beautiful weather, so we went for a walk along the Barycz Valley. Lizards, Polish horses, roe deer and various birds are only a part of the rich fauna that we managed to observe here. On the river itself, we came across traces of beavers' activity, which wreaked considerable havoc on the surrounding trees. However, we did not see the beavers themselves, because these animals avoid humans and feed mainly at night.
Barczy, although narrow and unhurried, is a fantastic river for canoeing trips, especially for beginners. It meanders in beautiful, deserted areas, providing many natural obstacles that make the crossing more attractive. For us it is too cold for kayaks, so we stopped at a picnic by the river. We reluctantly returned to Kalisz taking with us the last rays of the sun - we will definitely come back, this time on bikes, when it warms up a bit.
After summing up - a perfect weekend for families with children, lovers of nature, good cuisine and cycling trips. In addition to bicycles, we recommend that you bring decent binoculars and provisions for longer trips. Unforgettable picnic impressions!
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Links:
Milickie Ponds website
Domasławice Campus website
The history of the Moja Wola Palace and more photos
Side of the Barycz Valley
We do not like sitting on the spot, so we spend up to 3 days in each of the cities we visit. We appreciate regional food (although we will not eat everything because we are veg), small breweries and interesting people. The routes are dictated mainly by life - friends visited along the way, festivals in which we want to participate or simply interesting places found on the Internet. In my own camper since 2014.
