DOLINA SZEPTÓW
Quiet. Mist over the springs. An old mill and trout in the palace ponds.
- Distance
- 38.4 km
- Elevation
- ↑ 300 m
- Duration
- 2h 10min
A loop into Złoty Potok and the Wiercica valley — water, shade and a slower pace. The trail to take when the day is hot and you want to ride next to a river, not above it.
Trail details
- Shape
- loop
- Direction
- counter-clockwise
- Start
- WILK base · Olsztyn Jurajski · 50.7484 N · 19.2650 E
- Elevation
- ↑ 300 m · ↓ 300 m
- Altitude
- 280–370 m a.s.l.
- Time with stops
- 5–6 h
Who it's for
For intermediate riders
38 kilometres, 300 m of climbing, 78% on forest surface — gravel, packed dirt, natural roads, short single-track stretches. This is not the trail for your first day, nor for your first time on an e-bike — save it for day two or three, once you have Trop Wilka behind you. We are in the Jura, so expect a bit of sand along the way. Most of it you can avoid by sticking to the packed line of the track. Where you do need to step off and push the bike — use **Walk Assist**. Press and hold the lower assist button — the motor pushes the bike along for you. The trickiest stretch is **Grabowa Droga at km 12.5** — a short forest section where the surface loosens up. Slow down, drop into a lower gear, and if you feel you're losing control — step off and walk a few dozen metres with Walk Assist. After Grabowa Droga the trail tops out at its highest point (370 m, km 13), and from there it's downhill to Brama Twardowskiego.
For sightseers
Złoty Potok is a 2–3 hour stop on its own — the palace, the park, the ponds, the trout farm, the Krasiński museum. With the ride included, that's a full day.
In Tour mode, no stops — 2h 30min. With Złoty Potok and a proper look around — plan 5–6 hours.
Along the way
- km 0
Ruins of Olsztyn castle
Start from the WILK base. We leave the village heading west, then south.
- km 2.8
Biskupice
A quiet tarmac side road, fields, the odd farmhouse.
- km 5–9
Sokole Góry from the south
The trail drops into the forest, skirting the Sokole Góry reserve on its southern edge. Natural roads, a couple of short climbs, roots. This is the wildest stretch of the day.
- km 10
Krasawa
Out of the forest and into open fields. First proper chance to catch your breath.
- km 11.8
Kadzielnia (375 m)
The highest point in the Janów district. A bare hilltop with a panorama over the Jura.
- km 12.9
Pabianice
We pass the village on its northern side. Tarmac, a gentle descent.
- km 15.75
Brama Twardowskiego
The trail passes 11 metres from the rock. A 4-metre limestone arch, one of the most famous outcrops in the Jura. Named after Zygmunt Krasiński, who spent the summer of 1857 here. Legend says this is where Twardowski escaped to the moon on a rooster. Inside the Parkowe nature reserve. A mandatory photo stop.
- km 17–22
Złoty Potok
A loop around Złoty Potok (Polish: Golden Stream — keep the Polish name on the map) from south, east and north. The trail does not enter the palace park itself — leave the bike by the road and walk 600–800 m to see: Pałac Raczyńskich (classicist, built in 1856, two marble lions at the entrance, currently not open inside), the Krasiński Manor from 1829 (today the Regional Museum named after Zygmunt Krasiński), Pstrągarnia Raczyńskich (one of the oldest trout farms in continental Europe, breeding trout for over 140 years), the ponds: Amerykan, Sen Nocy Letniej, Irydion (Zygmunt Krasiński named them himself). Everyone stops here. Plan 2–3 hours.
- km 23–28
Heading back west
Forest, natural roads, easy climbs. The landscape settles down again after the intensity of Złoty Potok.
- km 28.6
Wooden church of St. Giles in Zrębice
Built of larch in 1789. Log construction, shingled roof, with a painting of St. Giles from 1652 inside. If you saw it from the outside on Trop Wilka — this is your chance to step in, if the church is open.
- km 29.1
Chapel and spring of St. Giles
Last water stop straight from the spring.
- km 30.2
Pustelnica (400 m)
The highest hill in the area, on the northern edge of the Sokole Góry reserve. From here it's all downhill back to Olsztyn.
- km 38.4
Back to base
Castle ruins on your right. A long day winds down.
Surface
Road types
Profile
A loop that drops gently into the Wiercica valley and climbs back out on a different road. Lowest point near the Złoty Potok ponds; highest on the return through the hills above Zrębice. Nothing steep — gradients stay under 5%.
Variant
You can shorten the loop by turning back at the trout ponds instead of riding up to the Raczyński palace gardens. About 8 km shorter, keeps the river but skips the climb.
What you'd miss from the saddle
On the trail
Brama Twardowskiego (km 15.75), Kadzielnia (km 11.8), the wooden church in Zrębice (km 28.6), the chapel of St. Giles (km 29.1).
1 km off the trail
Pałac Raczyńskich, the trout farm, the ponds, the Krasiński museum, the church of St. John the Baptist in Złoty Potok.
Off the trail, but in the area
If time permits, on a separate trip: Pustynia Siedlecka (about 1 km south of the trail near Krasawa), Diabelskie Mosty (1.5 km south of Brama Twardowskiego).
Route file
Checking access…
Trail available in season
2026
30 May – 31 Oct · 7 days a week
Free cancellation up to 7 days before departure
Source: Open-Meteo · refreshed every 30 min