Ojców is a village tucked into a limestone valley so narrow that the road barely has room beside the stream. This is the Prądnik valley, a green slot cut into the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, and it lies inside Poland's smallest national park, which packs in an astonishing amount of scenery: pale rock towers, caves, beech woods, mossy springs and a ruined castle perched on a crag. After the open farmland north of Kraków, dropping into it feels like entering a different country.
The riding is slow and attentive. The road through the valley is narrow, shaded and twisty, and the limestone walls rise close on either side, so visibility can be limited and you should expect cyclists, walkers and tour groups at weekends. Parking is by the village and is limited at busy times. The best experience comes on weekday mornings in spring or early autumn, when the beeches are fresh green or gold and the valley smells of wet leaves and rock. In deep winter ice on the shaded bends can be treacherous.
History and legend are everywhere here. The castle above the village, a ruin now, was strengthened in the fourteenth century under Casimir the Great as part of the chain of fortresses along this frontier, and the whole route is known as the Eagles' Nests Trail because those castles sat on cliffs like birds' eyes. A cave in the valley is named after Władysław the Elbow-high, the king said to have sheltered there while fleeing enemies, and the village also has a little wooden chapel built over a stream. The valley later became a health resort and still has a gentle, old-fashioned atmosphere.
There is more to see than you might guess, and the nature is excellent: bats overwinter in the caves, and the cliffs and woods shelter many rare plants and insects. A short walk to the rocky formations is worth it, and the trail up to the castle gives good views. The smell of woodsmoke and baking from the village stalls is hard to resist.
For fuel, Skała is the nearest community of a few thousand people, and Kraków itself is not far south. Cafés and simple restaurants in the village serve trout and pancakes, and there is water at the springs. Bring a lock for your helmet if you walk.