The glorious Velo Baltica cycling route along Poland's windswept Baltic Coast takes in endless dunes, romantic windmills, historic Hanseatic towns and abandoned forts. February isn't the most popular month to cycle along Poland's windswept and broad Baltic Coast. In fact, the roadside display counting passing cyclists showed just "12" as I rode past.
The weather was unwelcoming and chilly with thick clouds covering the sky. But that didn't matter to me. I'd long wanted to come back to this region as it's home to one of my favourite cycle routes in the country.
When the forecast showed no rain or snow, I took my bike and jumped on the train from Krakow to hit the road. While destinations like the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark usually get all the biking fame in Europe, Poland's devotion to building efficient cycling-exclusive routes has made it one of the underdog leaders of this kind of travel. Velo Baltica , also known as the R-10 trail, is a glorious route that spans more than 230km of coastline in Poland's West Pomeranian Voivodeship region, starting at the border town of Świnoujście next to Germany and terminating in Ustka, taking in endless dunes, romantic windmills, a wide expanse of the Baltic Sea, historic Hanseatic towns and abandoned forts along the way.
It's the epitome of slow tourism, ideal for unhurried riding while enjoying pastoral landscapes and feeling the Baltic breeze. And it's family-friendly, flat and accessible, making it a hidden gem of European .
