There is a rock here shaped like a club, and everyone calls it Hercules. It stands about twenty-five metres high beside the castle at Pieskowa Skała, a pale limestone pillar that looks hand-carved and is entirely the work of rain and frost. Behind it the valley of the Prądnik winds off between wooded cliffs, and on top of the next ledge sits one of the best-looking castles in southern Poland, its arcaded courtyard and towers floating above the trees.
The castle began in the fourteenth century as a Gothic stronghold under Casimir the Great, part of the line of fortresses along the old border of Lesser Poland that now makes up the Eagles' Nests Trail. Later owners rebuilt it in Renaissance style, and the arcaded court you see today comes from that time. Fire and neglect hit it hard in the following centuries, but it was restored and now works as a museum, with a collection of furniture and paintings and a small café in the grounds. The name means something like Dog's Rock, and nobody seems quite sure why.
For riders the approach matters as much as the sights. The road comes down into the valley through a succession of gentle bends, villages with wooden houses and chapels, and sudden bursts of forest, and it is a lovely road when traffic is light. At weekends in summer the car park and the lane beside it fill with families, so aim for an early start. Spring brings wild garlic and a thick green smell in the woods, and autumn turns the beeches copper and gold. The surface is mostly decent, but watch for leaves and damp patches on shaded bends.
There is a lot of walking if you want it, including a path up to the castle courtyard and trails through the park nearby, but you can see the main sights in an hour. Souvenir stalls and snack bars near the car park sell grilled sausages, waffles and coffee, and there are toilets close by. The nearest towns with fuel are Wolbrom and Olkusz to the north-east, or Krzeszowice to the south, so check your tank before you commit to the valley roads.
Take a moment at the foot of the rock, look up, and try to guess how long it has been standing.