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Lily of the valley canoe trail

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Lily of the Valley Canoe Trail, situated in the Przemęt Landscape Park, is one of the most beautiful canoe trails in Poland making it a great attraction for nature-loving tourists. The name of the trail derives from the Lily of the Valley Island which is the main beauty spot on the trail. The island is a nature reserve with a unique pink variety of the lily of the valley not to be found anywhere else in Poland.

Let’s set off on our tour!

We set off from the “Krokus” Sailing Holiday Resort managed by the "Tratwa” Foundation in Wrocław. We row into Lake Wieleńskie and move along its right side and after two kilometres we reach a large bay known as Lake Trzytoniowe; we follow its right shoreline (on our left-hand side) and we get to the mouth of the canalized stream - Struga Kaszczorska. We row on to Lake Breńskie and then to Lake Białe. From here we row into Lake Miałke through a narrowing. This lake is a challenge for canoeists; it is very shallow in summer which makes rowing difficult even for expert canoeists. You should row along its right shoreline (in the opposite direction – left shoreline) and never leave the canoe! After half an hour, we row into another stretch of Struga Kaszczorska and reach a rest area before a road bridge near the Miastko village. (Here we can leave the canoes in the meadow and walk two kilometres to the gallery of Marian Murek’s wooden sculptures in Górsko). After a few minutes we row into picturesque Lake Lincjusz; Struga Kaszczorska flows in here, further above it is called Stara Rzeka. It makes an attractive canoe trail out of Lake Ligińskie – 6.5 kilometres long up to the bridge in Miastko, which is an alternative to the described trail in the section of Lgiń (commune beach) – Wieleń. If we go in the opposite direction to the one being described we can plan the canoeing trip for two days avoiding in this way the inconvenience of carrying and transporting canoes in the section of Papiernia – railway bridge in Boszkowo. Continuing the trail, however, we row to the middle of Lake Brzeźnie. The shore of the lake is surrounded by a reed belt with some private jetties sticking out here and there. A small beach at the end of Lake Brzeźnie is owned by the Polish Scouting Association in Legnica and they do not allow outsiders in their property. We row through a shallow canal overgrown with reeds to a road bridge next to the buildings of a former forest administration region - Papiernia. From here we need to transport canoes 2.5 kilometres by the road through woods to Dominice situated at the edge of Lake Dominickie. On the way, we go past Lake Maszynek, situated in a picturesque area in the woods on the left side of the road. In Dominice we can spend the night in a youth hostel or in the commune beach facilities. There is a shop and bar here. We can also leave the canoes and return to Wieleń to stay overnight and that is the end of the first day of the trip (13 km).

Day two

We row in Lake Dominickie which is crowded with sailing boats and surfing boards and we move towards the public beach in Boszkowo visible in the distance. There should be Struga Boszkowska flowing in here but at present the canal leading to the lake is partially filled and the water is not deep enough. Sailable water can only be found behind the railway viaduct. That is why we need to carry the canoes 300 metres to climb over an embankment of the Wolsztyn–Leszno railway line. After splashing down from a steep shore we can continue the trip and row through the canalized Struga Boszkowska do Lake Wielkie and then through the canal to Lake Buckie. The lake is shallow but not very difficult. Below the Bucz–Boszkowo bridge we carefully get to Lake Boszkowskie. From there we row through a long stretch of the Błotnicki Canal with one convenient exit from the lake to the left shore before the fourth bridge (the second one made of concrete) near the tall trees. The canal leads us to Lake Błotnickie, the first postglacial channel lake in a chain of the eight Przemęckie lakes, with Lake Wieleńskie and Trzytoniowe at the end. At the end of the lake, on the right-hand side, we find a tiny beach with fishing boats and canoes owned by the club in Błotnica. This is an excellent place to rest. In front, we can see the Przemęcki Canal flowing from the lake which we follow under the railway viaduct to Lake Przemęckie Małe. Thick pondweed and water lilies cover part of the lake surface, but we can easily move on. We row straight ahead of the tall towers of a former Cistercian church in Przemęt, until we reach a visible outlet in the reeds. We quickly get to a road bridge with stairs leading out of the water, unfortunately the railings make it impossible to take out the canoes. Therefore, we get out earlier onto a meadow at the right bank to visit this exceptional monument of baroque sacral art from the 17th century. We follow the same route to Błotnica where we leave the canoes overnight. That is the end of the second day of our trip (15 km).

Day three

This is a fantastic trip along a chain of postglacial lakes with steep shores and crystal-clear water and for the most part surrounded by woods. We row through Lake Błotnickie and Lake Przemęckie Wielkie and get to Lake Radomierskie. Next, we reach the biggest nature attraction of the area – an over one kilometre long Lily of the Valley Island. The island is a nature reserve overgrown with a mixed forest, mostly oak trees. Entering the island is prohibited so it will be difficult to see the fields of lily of the valley hidden deep in the thick undergrowth. We row along the famous island to its right or left side and row into Lake Olejnickie. Before the Przemęt–Kaszczor road bridge, on the left shore, there is the AWF Wrocław holiday resort with a beach and numerous cabins. Behind the bridge in Olejnica, on the left shore of Lake Górskie, there is a marina also owned by AWF Wrocław. Behind the quays we find a convenient exit to the shore and a commune camping site 50 metres away. This is a good and cheap place for camping among pinewood trees, with drinking water, tables and toilets. Nearby there are three bars and a grocery store where you can buy food. On the left shore several holiday resorts offer accommodation in cabins. We leave Lake Górskie and row on to Lake Osłonińskie and continue along its right shore and then move under a low bridge on a causeway (very shallow water) to Lake Wieleńskie. Behind the bridge in Osłonin there is a large and clean commune beach with lifeguards, rental of canoes, boats etc. From here it is a short way to close the Lily of the Valley Canoe Trail loop in the “Krokus” Sailing Resort. The last day of the trip is 13km long.

An alternative to the traditional Lily of the Valley Canoe Trail is the so called “Cistercian Loop” which leads along places where the Cistercian Order was active. The Cistercians came to Poland in the first half of the 12th century. We begin the tour at Lake Wieleń. We row along Młynówka Kaszczorska and then the Mochyński Canal until we reach Mochy. We continue along the South Canal of the Obra river in the direction of Przemęt. The next stretch of the Przemęt –Wieleń trail is the same as the Lily of the Valley Canoe Trail.

Places worth visiting in the Cistercian Loop:

St. Adalbert’s Church in Kaszczor
St. John the Baptist’s Church in Przemęt
Church of the Birth of the Holy Mother of God in Wieleń.

SUMMARY OF THE TRIP

Trail (two versions)

Three days along the loop (Wieleń–Wieleń)
- 1st stage (13 km); Wieleń–Dominice (including transporting canoes and visiting Górsko)
- 2nd stage (15 km); Dominice–Błotnica (including visiting the church in Przemęt)
- 3rd stage (13 km); Olejnica–Wieleń
Two days (Lgiń–Wieleń–Boszkowo)
- 1st stage (13 km); Lgiń–Wieleń (visiting Górsko)
- 2nd stage (21 km); Wieleń–Boszkowo

Distances (km)