Velo Baltica - Stage IV [Mielno - Darłowo]

Stage IV: Mielno – Darłowo [41 km]

Mielno is a town that symbolizes the Polish coastline and, for many, is synonymous with good fun. Velo Baltica takes us along a gravel road along Lake Jamno, bypassing the famous Promenade of Friendship. It is true that incredible things happen in Mielno, but they are not necessarily related to the madness of Saturday nights (and not only). It is here that the International Winter Swimming Rally has been held every year since 2004. Guinness World Records are broken here in terms of the number of people swimming at the same time – in 2018, as many as 3,212 people took part in the joint swim. The symbol of these rallies is the Winter Swimmer Monument at the main entrance to the beach. Unfortunately, walruses hibernate in the summer and are rather difficult to encounter during a bike trip. However, there is nothing to stop you from trying our route in the winter – especially for those who are not fond of summer crowds and... enjoy winter swimming. The fame of the rallies in Mielno seems to have reached even the Arctic, because at the end of June 2022, a real walrus was resting on the beach right next to Mielno! However, the poor creature got the season wrong. While the sight of seals on Polish beaches is nothing unusual, this was the first time an Arctic walrus had been spotted in the Baltic Sea.

Mielno is another cycling hub and a second chance to turn onto the Old Railway Trail to Koszalin and Białogard. If we decide not to do so, the route will take us mainly along separate bicycle paths, most often with asphalt surfaces.

On the Łazy-Dąbki section, the trail leaves the sea and leads along comfortable bicycle paths. On the way, we pass an interesting church in Iwięcin with beautiful paintings on the ceiling. It is worth noting that Iwięcin has a school named after the canoeist Aleksander Doba and a school youth hostel named after Kazimierz Nowak, the most famous Polish bicycle traveler.

Many cyclists are tempted by the option of riding to Dąbki along the spit. We do not recommend this. Firstly, it will not be riding, but pushing your bikes. Secondly, when the path ends, you enter the dunes, which may result in a fine from the Maritime Office.

Before reaching Darłowo, there are more souvenirs from World War II. In Bobolin, we turn off the trail onto Beach Street, which, as the name suggests, leads us to the beach. However, this is no ordinary beach, but the "Amphitheater of Death." The name itself, although unofficial, ignites the senses and arouses justified curiosity. It is not a reminder of gladiatorial combat, but a 12-meter-high reinforced concrete wall, also known as the "Chinese Wall." This is completely incorrect, as the wall is German and was intended to shield a top-secret project hidden behind it. From the sea side, the project was shielded by bunkers, which still "beautify" the beach today. All these structures, including those inaccessible to visitors (because they are located on military premises), were part of an artillery range where the largest cannon of all time was tested. "Dora" was an 800 mm caliber railway cannon, moving on two tracks. It had a barrel 32 m long, 11 m high, weighed 1,350 tons, and was operated by about 500 people. For comparison, the current NATO standard is 155 mm caliber artillery guns. Such a large weapon is very cumbersome, difficult to transport, and easy to locate and destroy, which is why it proved to be a dead end in military development.

Transport:
During the summer season, Mielno can be reached by POLREGIO train from Koszalin. Koszalin station is connected to Mielno by a bicycle path and is a large railway junction served by POLREGIO trains (including from Szczecin, Słupsk, Poznań, and Szczecinek) and PKP Intercity trains (including from Szczecin, Gdańsk, Poznań, Kraków, and Warsaw). The timetable can be found at https://portalpasazera.pl

Surface: asphalt 76%, aggregate 15%, cobblestones 9%.

Type of traffic: bicycle paths 95%, general traffic 5%.