The Low Beskid
Hills and passes south of Baligród
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About this route
A demanding route leading through valleys, hills, and mountain passes of the Bieszczady to the south of Baligród. This is a sightseeing journey during which you will test your strength, endurance, and orientation in the terrain, as well as a journey through great history, recorded in monuments and cemeteries.
Practical advices
When preparing for a route, be sure to check the weather forecast. This will allow you to take appropriate clothing and limit your luggage as much as possible. However, it is well known that the weather can be unpredictable, so be prepared if it gets worse. It is good practice to pack a thin rain jacket that does not take up much space.
Before starting the route, carefully analyse it on a map. Consider whether your skills and equipment are adequate for the level of difficulty of the route.
Download the accompanying .gpx file so that you always have your navigation at hand. To make sure your device doesn't fail you, also bring a power bank, charger or spare batteries. If the weather changes, you may find it useful to have a waterproof case for your electronic equipment.
Be sure to take drinks and food with you on long journeys; you never know when you will get hungry. Remember that a shop or restaurant may be located a long way away. We recommend that you stock up on water, isotonic drinks, energy bars and snacks. This will make sure you don't lose the motivation to continue riding.
The absolute basis for safety is, of course, a helmet. Also, prepare yourself technically. Make sure you have adequate lighting on your bike. Pack a repair kit. Spare inner tubes, a pump, a multitool, all of these things can come in handy in the event of a breakdown, which of course you don't want!
Beskid Niski
Audiodeskrypcja tekstowa
Route details
Baligród – Przełęcz Żebrak – Cisna – BaligródStart
- 1Baligród0 kmBaligród
The trip will start in Baligród. This former town, now a village, is heavily burdened with history, mainly related to the numerous wars that have rolled through it, as well as through the Bieszczady hills among which it lies. Testimonies of this history are present at every step. At the northern outskirts of the village, there is a cemetery of Polish and Soviet soldiers from the years 1944-1945, with a certain number of burials of victims from September 1939. On the western fringes, near the market, there is a Jewish cemetery. At the market square, in the firehouse of the Volunteer Fire Brigade, there is a memory chamber worth visiting, featuring the battles from 1914-1915. In the centre of the market square, as a memorial of battles from 1944-1945 and later skirmishes with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, there is a T-34-85 tank, and near the Greek Catholic church, there is a plaque commemorating those murdered by Ukrainian bands. Leave the market to the south, sticking to regional road no. 893. After the bridge over the Hoczewka, you will come across a monument to those fallen in battles with the UPA. After travelling 700 metres, turn sharply to the right. You will know you are on the right track when you pass the small obelisk of Aleksander Fredro. Continue straight on this road, keeping to the left at the subsequent forks. It is worth turning off briefly at the 4.5 km mark to the right, to a viewpoint overlooking the quarry. Returning to the route, you will pass the Rabe tourist shelter, then the Rabe spring and the viewing terrace. Beyond these points, the road turns sharply to the right and with a wide curve around the quarry, continues in the southern direction. You are now passing the Nature Reserve Gołoborze, which protects a natural landslide and a complex of boulders at the site of a collapsed forest. On your route, you will come across the Michalczak Grave, a characteristic spot on the trail. After 2 km you will pass the student tent base Rabe; a similar distance separates you from the shelter at the Żebrak Pass. The route you are on is demanding - be careful on the ascents and descents. If you find it difficult, take a break. Think about the people who over 100 years ago, during World War I, fiercely stormed these hills, dying by the hundreds and thousands. Testimonies of their effort, struggle, and sacrifice are the military cemeteries and numerous unmarked graves scattered throughout the area.
- 2Żebrak Pass12.1 kmŻebrak Pass
About 250 metres past the shelter, turn left. You will follow a winding road still through the Bieszczady forest to the south, where after 1.3 km you will come across the Chliwny stream. Turn to ride along its course. For the next 4.5 km, stick to this watercourse, descending towards the village of Wola Michowa. Along the way, you will come across the "Emperor's Wilderness" obelisk, commemorating the return of the bison population to the Bieszczady. At the intersection in the village, turn left onto regional road no. 897. You will pass a lovely wooden church covered with shingles and on a not the best road you will reach Maniów. It is worth stopping there by the monument to the Home Army Couriers, the churchyard, and the chapel. On one of the trees, there is also a small plaque with the names of Hungarian soldiers who died here in 1915. Stick to regional road no. 897, heading east, to the Szczerbanówka Hill with a viewpoint offering breathtaking views, and to Żubracze. In the next village, Majdan, you will find the station of the Bieszczady Forest Railway and the narrow-gauge bridge. After a few minutes, you will reach Cisna.
- 3Cisna32.9 kmCisna
In the village, the first thing you will see is the war cemetery. There are many dining spots in the town, so you can take a break before heading back to Baligród. From regional road no. 897, turn left at the roundabout onto regional road no. 893. This is part of the Great Bieszczady Loop. Ahead of you is a long climb on a narrow asphalt road with moderate traffic - exercise particular caution. Of course, there will also be loops in steeper areas, for example on both sides of the Kut pass. Beyond the pass, after exiting the forest, you will come upon the village of Jabłonki, which you will pass on the west. At the 44 km mark, you will encounter the village of Łubne, or rather its remnants - a large meadow on a river bend and a few groves. On the left side, you have Manyłowa, a hill where several thousand people died fighting in the winter of 1914-1915. Staying on regional road no. 893, you will reach Bystre, the last village before Baligród, and upon leaving it, you will recognize the intersection where you originally diverged from this route. Continuing on regional road no. 893, you will arrive in Baligród.
- 4Baligród50.2 kmBaligród
Your trip ends near the starting point.
Attractions near this route
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