USTKA FOR ACTIVE PEOPLE

Ustka and the nearby area will also be enjoyed by cyclists. There are several bicycle routes, from several hundred meters to over a kilometer long, located here. The city is also crossed by the long-distance route R-10, also known as the Seaside Hanseatic Trail that circles the Baltic Sea; its total length is over 8.5 thousand km (588 km in Poland).

It is worth making a tour towards Rowy along a section known as the Trail of Rolled Tracks. The path was largely run along the embankments of the former railway line. It is 23 km long, although it can be extended with a loop around Lake Gardno (60 km in total). The well-maintained route has been fit with rest areas. To the opposite direction, there is the Seaside Hanseatic Trail leading from Ustka to Jarosławiec, which continues to Darłowo along the very sea. In the villages of Pęplino and Zaleskie, there are links to Słupsk (the latter runs through the historic Swołowo).

To the south from Ustka you can follow the USB-S Trail, or Ustka-Słupsk-Bytów-Sominy, leading through the beautiful landscapes of Pomerania and Kashubia.

Ustka and its surroundings are perfect for walks. Strolling along the beach and the promenade is a “must” on the agenda, but it’s worth going further by charting your own itinerary or following the defined trails. To explore the city, we suggest choosing one of the five routes marked out in the city (Harbor, Old Ustka, Health Resort, Uroczysko, Buczyna upon Słupia). The latter includes the Seaside Trail (red signs), which is part of the route progressing across Europe. The most attractive is the section to the east of Ustka: it runs almost exclusively along the beach, to Orzechowo (5 km) and Rowy (16 km). If you feel like moving away from the sea for a while, you can choose the Słupia Valley Trail (yellow signs), leading to Bytów through the beautiful Słupia Valley. The trail passes, among others, the previously mentioned nature reserve “Buczyna upon Słupia”. Pole walking is true health – so much so that the Ustka Health Resort offers Nordic walking to its patients as one of the treatments. The good thing about Nordic walking is that it can be practiced everywhere. The promenade, which has recently been extended, is perfect for this purpose and can now be used for quite long hikes. The western beach (on the other side of the port) – much less popular and as attractive as the eastern beach – will be the ultimate destination of the trip. There are more and more runners in Ustka with each year. The most popular place for a jog is the beach, where you can run barefoot and massage the receptors on your feet. It is worth choosing the western beach, which is more peaceful. The journey to the so-called Third Pier and the return along forest tracks is from 3 to 4 km long (depending on the chosen paths). The eastern beach usually runs from the breakwater to Wczasowa Street (3 km), you can also go further to Orzechowo and return through the woods (approx. 10 km). This route is usually covered by participants of the “Ustka Ten with a Hook” Run. April to October also marks Ustka’s cross-country grand prix. You can also enjoy a short run to one of the city parks.

Enthusiasts of water sports can enjoy canoeing on the Słupia River, which is classified as a challenging but very interesting route. It begins at Lake Gowidliński, and leads through open spaces of meadows and fields, as well as forested gorges and ravines. There are numerous rapids and picturesque meanders on the way. Owing to the rugged topography and rich flora, the Słupia river basin will provide memorable experience for amateurs of this sport, as it leads through the Słupia Valley Landscape Park. There are many camping sites along the route where you can rest and recharge your batteries before continuing your “hike”.

In the period from June to mid-July the amount of runoff is limited due to the reproduction period of a rare species of birds. Ending your trip in Ustka, you can take kayaks at the piers on the left bank, opposite the train station.

Are you feeling like enjoying active rest on the river with a fishing rod in your hand? River Słupia is a European center for trout fishing – the season starts exactly on January 1st. Every year, we are visited by several thousand anglers from Poland and Europe.

Lovers of sea fishing will find something interesting here. . . River Słupia has the nature of a mountain river and creates a favorable environment for salmonids, such as: sea trout, brown trout, rainbow trout (the protection period for sea trout and brown trout lasts from October 1 to December 31) and grayling fish. There are also pike and eel.

There are three horse stables in the area: Anka in Przewłoka, Żelazna Podkowa (“The Cast Iron Horseshoe”) in the Charlotta Valley and “Baza pod Lasem” (“The Base in the Woods”) in Żelaz. The studs offer horse-drawn carriage rides, horse riding lessons on a lunge line or a manege, and for more advanced riders we organize horse trips around the area. An additional attraction of the “Pod Żelazną Podkową” Stud (or the “Under the Cast Iron Horseshoe” Stud) is the local Zwierzyniec (“Preserve”) – probably the only such place in Pomerania, where you can also see goats, donkeys, roe deer, fallow deer, wild boar, Vietnamese pot-bellied pig, highland cattle, Stanisław’s camel and Plateau donkeys, as well as kangaroos, capybaras, snowy owl and Siberian eagle-owls. And most of all, we invite you to visit our bison!

There are winds blowing over Ustka, which make paragliders feel at home here. The best setting for practicing this airborne sport is situated over the beaches. A motor paraglider (paraglider powered with an engine) gives some more navigation possibilities. As the only winged equipment, it allows to fly at very low altitudes (e.g. a few meters above the beach). Air sports enthusiasts should be sure to visit Ustka in the first half of July, during the Columbus Wind Festival.

Winter is a time of ice swimming, when the Ustka beaches welcome enthusiasts of swimming in the icy sea. You can frequently meet them on Sunday noon. If someone wants to try their hand at this sport, they must remember about an intense warm-up. The bath itself takes about four minutes, followed by a quick change into dry clothes (and a hot shower after returning home). Ice swimming is great for the immune system and the circulatory system.

Cruises in the sea are one of Ustka’s most popular attractions. There are tours with stylized boats and specialist tours. The former includes journeys in ships resembling old galleons. Another type of experience is delivered by speedboat rides. Fishing trips also enjoy popularity. They take place on specially adapted cutters. They can be attended by a few to a dozen people, and the cruises last from about eight to several hours.

A group of diving enthusiasts from Słupsk and the surrounding area has created a new initiative – The Baltic Dive Center “Podwodni Słupsk” (“The Słupsk Underwater People”). The team is composed of divers with various levels of training and experience, including instructors, who pursue their passions together. They dive in the Baltic Sea in places such as Ustka, Dębina, Rowy and Hel, and are no stranger to expeditions under ice and on wrecks of sunken ships. When viewing underwater photos, it is sometimes hard to believe that there are such interesting specimens of fauna and flora so close, in our Baltic Sea. “Podwodni Słupsk” also organize diving courses and trips abroad. They focus on quality and safety. They have technical facilities and provide the necessary equipment. To those interested, we strongly recommend browsing their website.

The Sports and Recreation Center is a local government budget facility that satisfies the needs of the local community in the field of physical culture, recreation and relaxation. Its structure involves comprehensive accommodation, a sports and recreational base covering open areas. The most important sports events, league and cup matches, tournaments, Spartakiades as well as stage and special events take place here. The center cooperates very closely with associations and sports clubs, educational establishments and other institutions in the field of promoting a healthy lifestyle, practicing sports and physical recreation. The fruit of the cooperation are numerous events aimed mainly at school children and youth.

www.osir.ustka.pl