Wodąca Valley

Despite its name – roughly "the watery valley" – no stream runs along the floor of the Wodąca Valley. This dry karst valley, about 3 km long, between Smoleń near Pilica and Domaniewice near Wolbrom, packs in almost everything the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland (the Polish Jura) is known for: white limestone outcrops, caves, traces of medieval hillforts and a ruined castle on a conical hill. In one of its caves archaeologists found some of the oldest traces of humans anywhere in Poland.

A dry valley below a castle

Water does not stay on the surface here – it soaks straight into the fissured limestone, and its only trace is the small spring of the Tarnówka at the Domaniewice end. The height difference between the valley floor and the rock tops reaches almost 100 metres, so the valley feels deeper than its length suggests. At the Smoleń end it is closed by Castle Hill with the ruins of the Gothic Pilcza Castle, protected as the "Smoleń" nature reserve. The valley lies within the Eagles' Nests Landscape Park.

What to see

• Zegarowe Skały (Clock Rocks) – one of the larger rock groups in the Jura, with towers and pinnacles, Zegarowa Cave and nearby Jasna Cave.
• Biśnik – a rock group with a distinctive rock window, Biśnik Cave and Psia (Dog) Cave.
• Grodzisko Pańskie and Grodzisko Chłopskie – hills that carried medieval fortifications; remains of 13th-century defences have been uncovered on Grodzisko Pańskie.
• Smoleń Castle ruins – the best spot for a view down the valley.

Biśnik: archaeology hundreds of thousands of years old

Biśnik Cave is one of Poland's key Palaeolithic sites, and excavations are still going on. Traces of human presence here date back at least 150,000–120,000 years, and some studies place the oldest layers even earlier. The cave is closed to visitors, so you can only see it from outside. The Silesian Tourist Organisation also mentions another curiosity: the remains of a 17th-century coin forger's workshop were found in one of the valley's caves.

Trails

Three waymarked routes cross the valley:

• the red Eagles' Nests Trail (Olkusz – Bydlin – Zegarowe Skały – Smoleń Castle – Pilica), also as a cycling route,
• the blue Jura Strongholds Trail (Wolbrom – Zegarowe Skały – Ryczów – Ogrodzieniec),
• the green Cavers' Trail – a loop of about 10 km, marked in 2005, linking the most interesting rocks and caves.

Part of the green trail crosses private land and its route was never agreed with the owners, so stick to clear paths.

Tripto tip

The easiest start is in Smoleń below the castle ruins, walking along the valley floor towards Zegarowe Skały. There and back takes about 2 hours, while a loop including Biśnik and Grodzisko Pańskie is more of a half-day outing. Paths are unsurfaced, and after rain the slopes and rocks get slippery, so wear shoes with good grip. The route is not suitable for pushchairs. Do not enter the caves: some are closed, others are on private land. Evening light shows off the white Zegarowe Skały best.

Nearby

The ruins of Pilcza Castle in Smoleń are right next door. A few kilometres away are the palace in Pilica, the ruined watchtower in Ryczów and the castle in Bydlin, and Ogrodzieniec Castle in Podzamcze is less than 8 km away.