GPX TRACK OF THE ROUTE

Informacje praktyczne:

 Car park by the viewing tower on Brzanka.

From road no. 977 Tarnów-Konieczna, we have to take the exit between Tuchów and Gromnik in Dąbrówka Tuchowska, heading to Jodłówka Tuchowska. Being in Jodłówka, we turn left at a signpost showing the road to Rzepiennik Strzyżewski (right). On this side, the arrow indicating the ascent to the viewing tower (2.6 kilometres) is faintly visible.

Note: The road is narrow, and on sunny days, you’ll have to expect numerous delays to pass safely with cars coming from the opposite direction

Approximately 3 hours 45 minutes

 Easy; the ascent is long but gentle.

The hiking route leads through the Ciężkowice Foothills, to a large extent through the Brzanka Range Landscape Park. Starting from the car park at the Brzanka viewing tower and shepherd’s hut, we set off westwards. We’re accompanied by signs of the yellow trail, which starts in Siedliska, runs through the entire Brzanka and Liwocz Range and continues through the Podkarpackie Voivodeship to Dynów in the Przemyśl Foothills.

To Ostry Kamień

We hike along a comfortable road and, after about 15 minutes, meet the red trail leading to the village of Olszyny. The signs are well placed, and there’s no trouble orienting ourselves on which of the numerous paths to take. There’s only one slightly troublesome spot (about 40 minutes after setting off from the car park) where, out of momentum, we can go straight ahead, while we should actually turn left.

After nearly an hour of walking, we’ll see an interesting rock outcrop of the Ciężkowice sandstone on our left. There’s no need to ascend cross-country to it. After a few moments, the yellow signs disappear, and the green trail turns around and leads to Ostry Kamień. In ancient times, it was probably a place of pagan worship, and later, the Swedes camped here, and as late as the beginning of the 20th century, Roma people used to stay nearby and organise their weddings there. The indentation on one of the stones is said to be the result of a certain stingy farmer sitting too long at this spot.

Long descent with minor ascents

The descent into the valley, which is varied with minor ascents, begins from Ostry Kamień. First, we hike for nearly 20 minutes to Liwecka Góra, where the trail turns right and descends steeply. Don’t speed up too much, as you soon have to turn left. After a while, we’ll find ourselves on a comfortable forest road, along which we hike for 10 minutes, after which an equally long climb begins, ending with a turn to the right. There’s now a quarter of an hour of walking on almost flat terrain, followed by a turn to the left and a descent to the lowest point on the hike. We reach it after about 1 hour and 30 minutes from setting off from Ostry Kamień.

Time to return to high altitudes

The above statement may sound like a joke, given that the highest point of our route rises 530 metres above mean sea level. However, it must be remembered that we’re starting from a level of about 300 metres, so the difference in elevation – as for the foothills – is quite considerable.

The initial section of this stage can be difficult. Admittedly, the trail follows a road, but after rainfall, it sometimes turns into a creek. Moreover, the trail weaves between the numerous valleys of many watercourses, and you have to be very careful not to get lost in the tangled paths. Fortunately, the situation quickly stabilises with the trail taking a distinctly southerly direction. After a few minutes, we’ll see the buildings. Without reaching them, we turn left and find that we’re now also accompanied by the blue signs. We follow them downhill for 45 minutes to the ridge, where we’ll meet the yellow trail already mentioned at the beginning of the route description.

We still have about half an hour of hiking left to reach the starting point. At first, it is slightly uphill, and when the blue trail turns right to Jodłówka Tuchowska, it’s gently downhill all the way.

If someone hasn’t ascended the viewing tower before setting off on the route, they now have the time to do so. The upper platform offers extensive views to the south. A photograph placed on the tower helps to distinguish the visible hills. According to it, you can see the peaks of Beskid Sądecki, Gorce and even the distant Tatra Mountains. The sight obviously depends on the graciousness of nature. May it be as extensive as possible.