Tucholski Landscape Park, fot. Rafał Borzyszkowski

A visit to the Bory Tucholskie is always a great idea for a rest combined with exploring the beauty of nature. It is the perfect place to restore your health and charge yourself with positive energy: phytoncides, which are volatile compounds similar to essential oils, are present in the local air and have germicidal and regeneration qualities for our organism. In the south-east part of the Tuchola Forest is the Tucholski Landscape Park, to which we are welcomed by a kingfisher – a colourful bird that is a symbol of this area.

Kingfisher [Zimorodek] The symbol of Tucholski landscape park , fot. pixabay

While visiting this area, it is worth following the “Jelenia Wyspa” [“Deer Island”] nature trail in Nadleśnictwo Tuchola [the Tuchola Forest District]. The route is marked out in the south-eastern part of the Park, by the lovely Stążka river, near the road leading from Tuchole to Tleń. This 3.5-kilometre trail, in the shape of a loop covering 10 stops, starts and ends near the administration building of the Forest District in Gołąbek. Along the way you will meet plant congeries characteristic of the Bory Tucholskie, including pine forest congeries with some birches and spruces, as well as congeries of alder forests and riparian forests. Interesting points also include peat bogs and swamp and water congeries of the Stążka river, in the bushes of which otters make their home. One of the stops is “ptasia remiza” [“bird station”] which is a place where there are nesting boxes, waterers, tree collars and tree stands with bushes and trees which provide nectar and fruit. All of this is to increase and concentrate insectivorous forest birds whose activity boosts the endurance of trees against degradation by harmful insects. Ants play a similarly good role, and the last stop is dedicated to them. Earlier you will also see a feeder for forest animals, including boar, which also contribute to lowering the population of insects by eating their maggots and larvae. These and other interrelationships of different elements of the ecosystem are thoroughly explained here on well-prepared information boards. Beside the trail, it is also worth seeing the Dendrologic Garden in Gołąbek, where 150 species of trees and bushes grow on an area of 2.61 hectares.

Autumn colours in Tucholski Landscape park, fot. Rafał Borzyszkowski