The trail is not at all difficult and stretches along the local roads on gravel, asphalt and concrete pavement through some of the most attractive areas of the Chojnicki poviat. Choosing the red trail, cyclists traversing through forests Tuchola forests will find on their way numerous lakes, river valleys, holiday resorts, as well as become familiar with the art and culture of Kashubia.

Distance: 55.8 km

The time it takes to cover the trail: 6-7 hours

Difficulty: Easy

Mileage:

Charzykowy – (1.0 km) Stary Mlyn – (3.8 km) Funka – (5.8 km) Bachorze – (10.5 km) Male Swornegacie – (13.6 km) Chocinski Mill – (17.7 km ) Swornegacie – (22.4 km) Drzewicz – (28.3 km), Wielkie Chelmy – (31.9 km) Czyczkowy – (33.4 km) ,Brusy-Jaglie – (34.6 km) ,Brusy – (37.9 km) Kosobudy – (43.5 km), Chlopowy – (46.7 km) Bielawy – (50.9 km) Sienica – (55.8 km) Czersk

The trail starts on the promenade in Charzykowy, at the intersection of Kormoranow and Labedzia streets.

0 km – Charzykowy – big summer resort situated on the shores of Lake Charzykowskie, the cradle of Polish sailing. The original settlement was located on the south-western shore of the lake. The Teutonic Knights at Castle Hill founded the auxiliary lock Buchwald, belonging to the Commandery Czluchow. In 1350 Charzykow joined the commandery. At the beginning of the 20^th century began to develop tourism. In 1912 German Association of Sailing was founded. In 1922 Otto Weiland founded the first independent Polish sailing club. Charzykowy is located in the Zaborski Landscape Park. It is located on the Charzykowska Plain, and covers the north-western part of Tuchola Forest and a fragment of the Lake Krajenskie area. Most of the area is gravelly sandy glacial plain created from glacial melt waters. At the park there are 47 lakes, most rainwater and melt. A valuable element of the landscape are oligotrophic forest lobelia lakes. The forests of the Zaborski Landscape Park are dominated by pine forests growing on poor soils. In the southern part of the park, in the area of moraine hills, there are natural beech forests with rich undergrowth. We reach the highway Charzykowy – Swornegacie via Kormoranow street. Here begins the cycle path made from sett , running on the left side of the road. Then it turns to a dirt surface gravel and clay, in towns it turns into a paved surface. In the settlement Stary Mlyn there are located some monumental trees, among others, poplars, this is where the path goes to the right side of the road.

3.8 km – Funka – At the beginning of the village we drive on the left side of the road. The settlement existed already in the 14^th century, its name comes from the surname Funk. In 1936 Janina Bartkiewicz founded here Scouts Water Centre that in 1996 was converted into a Scout Centre of Environmental Education.

5.8 km – Bachorze -a holiday village was mentioned in 1772; in 1812 in the vicinity of the village some legionaries who were going with the army of Napoleon at Moscow erected a cross. We drive for a while into the National Park “Tucholskie Forest”. National Park “Tucholskie Forest” created in 1996, with its range it includes valuable natural, landscape and cultural fragments of one of the biggest forest complexes in Poland – Tuchola Forest. Its area is 4 613.04 ha and the surrounding forests 12 980.52 ha. National Park “Tucholskie Forest” is primarily a forest area (more than 83% of the Park are the forest ecosystems). The predominant type of soil are Podsols therefore prevail coniferous habitats, with a very characteristic boron dry and fresh. Significant impact on the natural and landscape values of the Park has water. There is here a choice of 21 different types of lakes, including a very valuable lobelia lakes, dystrophic and Chara. In the flora of the park many relict species have been found. These include twinflower, reed simple and ophioglossum common. Also noteworthy are numerous protected species, such as.: club mosses, sundews, orchids and lichens widely represented group. The most valuable fauna are m.in.: eagle, white-tailed eagle, kingfishers, great crested newt, greater mouse-eared bat and Eresus cinnaberinus krasny. We cover the mouth of the Struga Siedmiu Lakes to Lake Charzykowskie and we drive on the right side of the road. From the parking lot on the left spreads a panoramic view of Lake Charzykowskie. We get to the summer resort Male Swornegacie, where we return to the left side of the road.

10.5 km – Male Swornegacie – in medieval Augustinian documents mentioned as Zwierzyniec its current name appeared in the second half of the 18^th century. Beautifully situated on an isthmus between Lakes Dlugie and Karsinskie and Charzykowskie. We pass through built under the Kashubian Route drawbridge on the Brda River, which connects Lake Charzykowskie here and lake Dlugie. We drive through the forest to the village Chocinski Mill, where you turn right. On the left joins us from Charzykowy the yellow trail. It leads to the black Konarzynska loop. We pass the remains of a water mill on the river Chocina, which was created in the 19^th century, and in 1923 it was rebuilt. We ride a dirt path that runs right side of the road No. 236 Konarzyny – Brusy. We reach the village Swornegacie.

14.1 km – Mill Chocinski (Chocinski Mlyn)

17.7 km – Swornegacie – big summer resort, located on Lake Karsinskie. Quite the original name of the village comes of the hypotheses of two words: “Swora,” or a braid woven from the roots of pine and “gacenie” (protect), ie the strengthening of the shores of lakes. Swornegacie is one of the oldest Kashubian villages mentioned in a document of Pope Gregory X of 1272. During the occupation, the village was evicted, and the area earmarked for the training ground. After the war it was intended to reforest the area, but ultimately the village was rebuilt. We’re going through Swornegacie by the shores of Lake Karsinskie, the bridge over the Brda River and near the Kashubian Folk Crafts House and the Church of St. Barbara. Kashubian Folk Crafts House with an exhibition of old household appliances and folk art. The neo-baroque church of St. Barbara was built between 1912-1916, designed by Fritz Kunst.

We are entering the forest, a bike path leads us to another resort – Drzewicz.

22.4 km – Drzewicz – in the mid-17^th century an inn was located here at Brda river. After the war holiday resorts were set up here. A forester from the early 20^th century survived in Drzewicz. The path flips on the left side of the road, we cross the Brda River flowing isthmus between Lake Lackie and Lake Dybrzk. Yellow trail leaves us, turning right into the village Mecikal. The path runs for a while through the forest stopping before the village Wielkie Chelmy. Since then, the path turns to asphalt pavement, in the villages the path turns into the cobblestones.

28.3 km – Wielkie Chelmy – the village was first mentioned in 1344. In the 19^th century the Sikorski family famous for resilient hosts and activists of Polish independence movement owned the village. During the years 1852 to 1853 they built a manor house in a neo-Gothic style which was rebuilt in the early 20^th century. We leave the Zaborski Landscape Park and we drive on the right side of the road. At the beginning of the village Czyczkowy we turn to the left side, at the end of it, again, we are going the right side.

31.9 km – Czyczkowy – a small village, the birthplace of blessed priest Joseph Jankowski, the patron of the City and Municipality Brusy, and the local primary school. We pass the village Brusy-Jaglie, there is a Kashubian cottage built in 2005, referring to the traditional buildings of southern Kashubia. Right next door is an exhibition of the work of the late folk artist Joseph Chełmowski. From the entrance to the small farm the visitors see a fascinating, created by the artist a world full of Kashubian curios, sculptures, painted hives, musical instruments and inventions. At the beginning of the town Brusy ends a bike path of Kashubian Route.

34.6 km – Brusy-Jaglie.

35 km – Brusy – a town of approx. 5 000 inhabitants is the center of the region Zaborow, inhabited by Zaborakow Krebanow. The name of the town comes from the word “boor” – a millstone. The village Brusy mentioned in 1324 was set on Chelmno law in 1351. Since 1466 it was a royal property. In the second half of the 19^th century Brusy became the center of the Kashubian movement. After 1945 the town has grown considerably, and in 1988 gained city rights. The most valuable monument of the town is the All the Saints Church A neo-Romanesque church was designed by Adolf Dankert of Brandenburg in the years 1876 to 1879 with the initiative of Father Augustine Wiki-Czarnowski. The church has impressive size – 61 meters long, 26 meters wide and 12.5 meters high. It is one of the largest churches in Pomorskie region. Inside there is a Baroque altarpiece “bracki” of the 17^th century. We’re going through the town of Brusy via the streets of : Karnowskiego, Derdowskiego, Wojska Polskiego to the roundabout.

Here we find the green trail from the village Mecikal and along with it the Armii Krajowej street, Targowa street, Ogrodowa and Nad Dworcem street and we get to the train station. We turn to the Dworcowa street, on its left side runs a paved bicycle path. We’re going to the village Kosobudy through which we pass through the streets of Sw. Jan Nepomucen and Czerska.

37.9 km – Kosobudy – this village already existed in the 13^th century, in 1330 Teutonic Knights established here a headman covering a substantial portion of the land Zaborska. The Neo-Gothic church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was built by evangelicals in 1871. Opposite the church there is a long time vicarage; in the village there also preserved buildings from the late 19^th century. and the statue of St. John Nepomucen from 1925. The school has its Regional Chamber. We pass the church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We’re going now the road without a dedicated bike path. At the junction with the road to Kinice the green trail leaves us, running for Chojnice. We pass the memorial to the victims of World War II and settlement Chlopowy. We cross a small river on the bridge Niechwaszcz and go quite monotonously through the forest. We pass the village Bielawy, and intersections to hamlets situated on the sidelines Kwieki and Sienica. After a while we leave the forest, cross the tracks line Czersk – Bak and via the Wrzosowa street we enter into the town of Czersk.

55.8 km – Czersk – the city (9 800 inhabitants) in the eastern part of the Chojnicki poviat. First mentioned in 1330; since 1466 a royal village in the prefecture Tuchola. Since 17^th century it is the seat of the so called “Czerska Economy” i.e. a land complex leased by the royal families to nobility. The village developed after introducing in the years 1871 to 1873 the railway line from Berlin to Kaliningrad and Gdansk, later the railway junction. After returning to Poland in 1920 Czersk received city rights (1926). We go Lipowa street under the railway bridge on the line Chojnice – Tczew, we take Kolejowa street to get to the station. From here Dworcowa street we go to the city center, where near the town Hall and the Mary Magdalene church our route ends. A modernist neo-Gothic town hall was built in approx. 1926. The Church of St. Mary Magdalene – a neo-Gothic shrine was built in the years 1910 to 1913 on the site of a wooden church. Inside there is a precious altar from 1611 moved from a church in Pelplin, with the image of the Holy Trinity by Herman Hahn.