Nyzhniy Verbizh-Tserkva of the Nativity of and Kuziy - Trybushany
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
350 km
Riding-time estimate
8 h 40
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
A 350 km round trip from Kolomyia - roughly 8 h 40 in the saddle. The stops in between: Gorgany, Svydovets, Kuziy - Trybushany and back through Svydovets. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,050 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. The line favours views over speed.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Nyzhniy Verbizh-Tserkva of the Nativity of
The wooden church of Nyzhniy Verbizh stands in the foothills of the Carpathians, in the Pokuttya region of western Ukraine, close to the Prut river and the old town of Kolomyia. It is one of the Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region listed by UNESCO in 2013, a group of sixteen churches in Ukraine and Poland that show how the Orthodox and Greek Catholic communities of the mountains developed a tradition of building in timber that mixed Byzantine plans with local carpentry. Like others in the group, this one has a cross-shaped plan with tiered roofs and a small tower, and is raised from squared logs with shingles on the roofs, in a form that dates from the early 1800s.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nyzhniy Verbizh-Tserkva of the Nativity of is where the day begins. Next is Gorgany.
2. Gorgany
The Gorgany are the wildest part of the Ukrainian Carpathians, a range of sandstone peaks rising above dense forests in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. What makes them unusual are the gorgany themselves, the fields of loose stone blocks that cover the upper slopes and summits, formed by frost shattering the rock. Walking across them is slow and tiring, and the forests below, of spruce, beech and Swiss stone pine, are among the most pristine in Ukraine, with brown bears, wolves, lynx and red deer. The Gorgany nature reserve protects a part of this landscape.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Gorgany comes up 51 km in. Next is Svydovets.
3. Svydovets
The Svydovets is a long, high ridge in the Ukrainian Carpathians, rising above the upper Tisza valley near the town of Rakhiv in Zakarpattia. Its southern and northern slopes hold some of the wildest primeval beech forest left in Europe, protected as part of the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve and included in the UNESCO site of Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe. Above the trees lie broad alpine meadows, the polonyna, where Hutsul shepherds traditionally drove their flocks each summer, with glacial lakes tucked below the ridge.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
101 km in you reach Svydovets. Next is Kuziy - Trybushany.
4. Kuziy - Trybushany
The river Tisza runs fast and green out of the Ukrainian Carpathians, and for many kilometres it forms the border between Romania and Ukraine. On the Ukrainian bank, the forests of Kuziy and Trybushany are among the primeval beech woods protected in the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve and listed by UNESCO as part of the Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe. From the Romanian side, around Valea Vișeului, you look across the river at steep, wooded slopes where the trees have grown and died without interference for centuries.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Nyzhniy Verbizh-Tserkva of the Nativity of closes the day.
Leg by leg
Nyzhniy Verbizh-Tserkva of the Nativity of to Gorgany
Nyzhniy Verbizh-Tserkva of the Nativity of → Gorgany is 71 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Gorgany to Svydovets
Gorgany → Svydovets is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Svydovets to Kuziy - Trybushany
Svydovets → Kuziy - Trybushany is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Kuziy - Trybushany to back through Svydovets
Kuziy - Trybushany → back through Svydovets is 37 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Svydovets to back through Gorgany
back through Svydovets → back through Gorgany is 44 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Gorgany to Nyzhniy Verbizh-Tserkva of the Nativity of
back through Gorgany → Nyzhniy Verbizh-Tserkva of the Nativity of is 71 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.