There are two major climbing areas in Poland: Sokoliki / Rudawy which I will describe in next article, and Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska, located between cities Kraków and Częstochowa.
Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska, usually called just “Jura” is the biggest climbing region in Poland. On about 130 km long area there are tens of sectors and more than 8 000 routes.
The region is characterized by white limestone rocks, usually low. Most of the rocks are just 10-15 m (33-50 ft), only few are between 25-35 m (82-115 ft) and the highest is 80 m. Most of them are vertical, with many pockets, and what distinguishes this region – very slippery.
The majority of routes are bolted. Trad climbing is also possibly on few crags, however protection is often difficult and reportedly friends are not good because of slippery rocks.
Climbing in Poland is quite popular so in summer weekends you can expect it will be crowdy.
Most of the sectors are easy accesible and children-friendly. From parking it’s usually just about 5 – 20 minutes of walk, and there’s usually plenty of flat terrain with grass, where your children can wait for you safely.
For history lovers, there are also a few castles (the biggest in Bobolice and Ogrodzieniec) and ruins of castle (e.g. in Mirów, Olsztyn) in this area. They are not allowed and not safe for climbing but can be a good idea for a bad weather.
There is plenty of accommodation options in this region. You can choose climbing hostel TrafoBaseCamp in Podlesice, campsite in Podlesice, Rzędkowice or Będkowice (Brandysówka), or one of many homestays. For only 30-40 zł (8-10 euro) per person per night you can find comfortable guest room in private house, usually with own bedroom and shared kitchen. However, it can be tricky to make reservation if you don’t speak Polish… You can find a guesthouse on eholiday.pl but usually you have to phone to make reservation and probably many owners don’t speak English. You can look for also on booking.com but there are only few places, mainly the more expensive ones. Also, some climbers prefer wild camping and there are a few spots popular among them, however I don’t know exactly where.
Although I’ve visited Jura already dozen of times, I still haven’t seen many crags. I will write about my favourites when I know this area better :)
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