Soon after leaving Elbląg I realised that some of the routes I had planned to take were not really suitable for my bicycle and riding style. The smaller asphalt roads can have a very rough surface with potholes large enough to cause serious accidents, not to mention riding discomfort. Many minor villages are linked by dirt roads and only have one sealed connection to the nearest major road. Using them as links to avoid the major roads is infeasible.
On the other hand, riding on the smaller roads took me through picturesque villages such as Chwalęcin with a huge monestary.
I stopped in Orneta for lunch in a small kiosk. Orneta looked a little derelict, its historic town centre obviously hasn't been given the same attention as Elbląg's old town. Inside the shop the owner had hung historic postcards of Orneta, or Wormditt as it was called in German. I noticed that all the signs and shops in the pictures and even the writing on the cards was in German. This was the first concrete experience I had with the Prussian heritage of the region. I found it interesting that they had decided to exhibit these pictures although they are obviously a reminder of much conflict leading up to and culminating in WWII. Or was the owner of the store trying to make a statement by showing these images? No way to find out...
When I left Orneta I again decided not to take the main road 513 to Lidzbark-Warmiński but to try a more southerly route along some quieter roads. The initial section to Opin was a newly sealed, perfectly smooth surface. Alas it was not to last and before long I was on a dirt road that turned into a sandy forest track which took me to Bieniewo. There were plenty of tracks in the forest that my map didn't show as it was taken from a road atlas. I got slightly disoriented but eventually ended up on a marked cycle path to Lidzbark-Warmiński along an asphalt road that was rather worse for wear.
When I arrived at the tourist information in Lidzbark-Warmiński just before closing time, a very heavy thunderstorm erupted. The staff kindly let me stay inside until the worst of the downpour had passed, but it was still quite windy and cold by the time I left. At the tourist information they thought that I could put up my tent at some kind of youth camp called »Zacisze Leśne«, 2km south of Lidzbark-Warmiński on the road to Jeziorany. Unfortunately, when I arrived there I was told that it was not possible to camp there anymore. Then I cycled around Jezioro Wielochowskie to the north of the city where my map indicated a possible camp site, but I also didn't find one. Eventually I just put up my tent in a grassy field protected from the road by some trees.
No comments:
Post a Comment