Velo Baltica - Stage IV [Mielno - Darłowo]

Stage 4: Mielno - Darłowo [42 km]

Mielno is one of the most popular cities of the Polish coast. For many it is considered as a synonym of good fun. Some people come here to relax, some to party. You may wonder, why there’s a statue of walrus on the boardwalk ( called The Friendship Promenade). Well, Mielno is famous for its Ice Swimmers Conventions, held here every winter since 2004. Ice swimmers are called “walruses'' in Polish. In Mielno they have set a Guinness record for the largest polar bear dip. The largest event so far took place in 2018, when 3,212 people ran into the cold waters together. The Walrus Monument at the main entrance to the beach is a symbol of these events. You can try to cycle Velo Baltica in winter - you’ll certainly not be bored! Interestingly, the fame of conventions in Mielno probably reached even the Arctic, because at the end of June 2022, on the beach right next to Mielno, a real walrus was spotted! While the sight of seals on Polish beaches is not particularly strange, a walrus was observed for the first time in the Baltic Sea.

Mielno is another bicycle junction and a second chance to turn to the Old Railway Trail to Koszalin and Białogard. If we do not decide to do so, the route will lead next to Jamno lake, firstly on gravel, then separate bicycle paths, most often with an asphalt surface.

In the section Łazy - Dąbki, the trail diverges from the sea. We ride on comfortable bicycle paths, passing an interesting church in Iwięcino with beautiful paintings on the ceiling. It is worth noting that in Iwięcino there is a school named after one of the greatest adventurers of Poland - canoeist Aleksander Doba, who died in 2021. Nearby School Youth Hostel bears the name of Kazimierz Nowak - legendary bicycle traveler, who cycled through Africa in the 1930s.

Many cyclists are tempted to continue next to the sea and cycle to Dąbki by the spit, but it’s a bad idea. Firstly, it won't be riding, just pushing the bikes. Secondly, when the path ends, you enter the dunes, and this may result in a ticket from the Maritime Office.

Before reaching Darłowo, more structures from World War II await. In Bobolin, we turn off the trail into a street leading to the beach. However, it is not an ordinary beach, but the "Amphitheater of Death". The very name, although unofficial, arouses curiosity. Somewhat disappointingly, it is a 12-meter-high reinforced concrete wall, also known as the "Chinese Wall". Strange name, considering it was built by Germans, and it was supposed to protect the super-secret project behind it. From the seaside, the military compound was protected by bunkers, which stand on the beach till today. All these objects, including those that are not available to the public (they are located on the premises of a military unit), were part of the artillery training ground where the largest cannon of all time was tested. "Dora" was an 800 mm railroad cannon, moving on two tracks. It had a 32 m long barrel, was 11 m high, weighed 1,350 tons and was handled by about 500 people. Such a large weapon is very bulky, difficult to transport, easy to locate and destroy, therefore it turned out to be a dead end in the development of the warcraft.