Why this ride
A 104 km round trip from Lutowiska - roughly 2 h 12 in the saddle. The stops in between: Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek, Wolosatka stream valley and back through Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek. Rivers set the line for much of the day.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa and Wolosatka stream valley
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 104 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 12
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. 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.
Scenic road chapters
Bieszczady Loop
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 30 km this is Bieszczady Loop, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 30 km
- Named road
- Bieszczady Loop
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa
In the Bieszczady mountains of south-eastern Poland, close to the border with Ukraine, a wooden church stands on a gentle rise above the San valley at Smolnik. It is dedicated to St Michael the Archangel and built in the style of the Boyko people, with three log sections stepping up from east to west under shingled roofs. Since 2013 it has been part of the World Heritage Site of Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine.
Read the complete Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa is where the day begins. Next is Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek.
2. Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek
In the far southeastern corner of Poland, where the country meets Slovakia and Ukraine, the Bieszczady mountains rise in long, rounded ridges covered with beech forest. Above the tree line, the summits are open meadows called połoniny, and Połonina Wetlińska is one of the most beautiful, a long grassy ridge with views over endless forested hills. Smerek, a peak at its western end, rises to over twelve hundred metres. On the ridge, the Chatka Puchatka, Winnie the Pooh's hut, a small mountain refuge, has been a beloved stop for hikers for decades. The walk up from Wetlina or the Przełęcz Wyżna pass takes a couple of hours, and the view from the top, especially at sunset, is unforgettable.
Read the complete Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek comes up about 30 km into the recorded legs. Next is Wolosatka stream valley.
3. Wolosatka stream valley
The Wołosatka is a mountain stream in the far south-eastern corner of Poland, draining the slopes below Tarnica, at 1,346 metres the highest summit of the Polish Bieszczady. Its valley is part of Bieszczady National Park and of the World Heritage listing of primeval Carpathian beech forests: dark, mossy woods of beech and fir where dead trunks are left to fall and rot, and where bears, wolves, lynx and wildcats still move freely. Above the treeline the ridges open into the połoniny, high grass meadows that turn tawny in autumn and give the range its rolling, almost Scottish silhouette.
Read the complete Wolosatka stream valley write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 52 km into the recorded legs you reach Wolosatka stream valley. Next is back through Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek.
4. back through Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek, late in the day. Next is Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa.
5. Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa to Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek
Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa → Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek to Wolosatka stream valley
Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek → Wolosatka stream valley is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Wolosatka stream valley to back through Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek
Wolosatka stream valley → back through Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek is 22 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek to Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa
back through Polonina Wetlinska and Smerek → Smolnik-Tserkva of Saint Michael the Archa is 30 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.