Dankowski Szlak - Strzelce Krajeńskie - Miasto i Gmina

The first part ( , km) leading to Sidłów is made of stone setts. Further on, it is an asphalt
road which leads to Gardzko. Just outside the village, there is a huge obelisk- a monument of
environment. The village which has a baroque church was first mentioned in the chronicles
in the 7. After covering the distance of . kilometers one has to turn into a sandy road
leading to Rokitno. After another 800 meters one can see a crossroads in the forest. The road
on the right takes you do Rokitno and the road ahead goes to Długie. The next unit is called
‘Strzeleckie Rokitno’. The stage ends in a rest spot called ‘Ptasi budzik’- bird’s alert, where
information boards about birds’habits are located. Here the route joins the route which leads
along Poznańska Street and from now on it is called ‘Owczy Trakt’ and provides a safe way to
get to the recreation resort in Długie. The whole route is divided into a couple of units bearing
the following names: /„Poznańska droga”-6.9 km, /„Owczy trakt”- . km, /„Sumowski
szlak”- . km /„Słowi szlak”- .8 km.
„Poznańska droga” is a satisfactory route only for those who prefer cross-country tourism.
It leads along a natural way through fields and after covering .9 kilometers we reach
a wild cherry tree and the route turns left and soon we arrive af a rest spot located nearby
a tiny water reservoir called Staw Anioła” surrounded by pine trees and fields.
going through the fields we reach the ‘wzgórze gardzkie’ (The Gardzko hill) which
gives a lovely panorama over the village of Gardzko with its landmark- a high chimney, and
the village of Licheń with its white church tower dating back from the 79 . Next the route
reaches the edge of the Drawa Forest ( . kilometers) and along a forest path going among a
0-year-old forest we reach the Licheń-Rokitno junction (6. kilometers).
After we go past a downwards descend, and a sandy uphill road we reach another junction-
Długie-Rokitno and Licheń-Smolarz (a settlement in the woods) it is also the Bird’s Alert
rest spot. Riding along ‘Owczy trakt’-the sheep’s path, which turns right after . kilometer,
leading to Długie we reach a tiring uphill road. Here we can see former grazing lands which
now are an area planned for modern housing.
Later on, the path leads near some picturesque ravines and lake Długie flickering from
behind the trees. Just off the village there is a construction site and Friar Krystyn’s Society’s
recreation center. Down a paving we reach Długie village. It is the shortest and the safest
way to get from Strzelce to Długie ( km). But we advise you to choose a bit longer but more
interesting route. The beauty of the places you can see is worth riding it. Instead of following
Owczy Szlak to Długie we turn left and go to see two magnificent lakes located among the
forest: Rydzek Głęboki and Rydzek Miałki (9 th km of the route). The picturesque, gutter-like
lakes were shaped by the glacier and have steep and high slopes, covered with 60-year-old
pines are undoubtely a gret tourist attraction- they are part of Nature 000-broad leeved
forest. The pine trees are of great importance for the foresters and due to their exeptional
look and age they create a group of trees giving seeds for raising seedlings and creating new
forests. Part of their seeds are conserved in a gene-bank. Seeing such an old group of trees
must make us respect the foresters’ experience not having cut out such distinguished trees.
Passing the lakes we go across the national road E- Gorzów Wlkp-Gdańsk. After a careful
drive through that busy road we primarily go along the edge of the Licheński Forest, and
then through a pasture. On the edge of a pine tree forest, we turn left and after 800 meters’
drive we notice the surface of Lake Słowa 0 meters deep, covering an area of 00 hectares
of gorgeous emerald water. This is also an overlook with a tower that enables admiring the
view of the lake, surrounding forests as well as rare birds such as the white eagle or the kite.
We can distinguish the shape of a fire-tower over the forests
Going down a hill for about 00 meters we turn right into a road leading along Słowa
lake. There we can observe the works of an animal hydrobiologist- the beaver. After cover-