Stare Wierchy, Gorce Mountains

A road from Kraków to Hungary once crossed the glade at Stare Wierchy, with a toll point and an inn frequented by highwaymen. Today a PTTK mountain hut stands here, and the wide glade offers a panorama of the Tatras and Babia Góra. Stare Wierchy (about 970 m) is an unassuming rise in the western Gorce range, yet it is one of the key trail junctions in this part of the mountains – and a great half-day target from Rabka or Obidowa.

History: the Royal Road and the robbers' inn

A cart road once ran across the glade from Szczyrzyc via Mszana Dolna, Poręba Wielka, Obidowa and Klikuszowa to Nowy Targ – part of the route from Kraków to Hungary known as the Royal Road, mentioned in documents as early as 1255. Tolls were collected and an inn served travellers. According to folk tales, highwaymen, known locally as the "lads from behind the beech", tied the innkeeper up with a chain and drowned him in a stream. The glade was still farmed in the early 21st century.

The hut: burnt in 1945, rebuilt in 1974

The first hut was built by the Rabka branch of the Polish Tatra Society and opened in 1932 – a small wooden house with a veranda and beds for 23 people. During the war it also served partisans, and on 10 January 1945 it was burnt down by the Germans during an operation against the resistance. The present hut, designed by Zbigniew Radziewanowski, opened on 13 January 1974; it is named after Czesław Trybowski, who drove the rebuilding. It offers rooms for 2 to 9 people, home cooking, space for a tent and a campfire, and there is a ski lift next door.

What to see and how to get there

Stare Wierchy is a ridge junction: the ridge coming from Turbacz splits here into a north-western arm descending to Rabka-Zdrój and a south-western arm heading to the Sieniawa Pass. The boundaries of three villages – Ponice, Obidowa and Poręba Wielka – meet on the glade. The most popular approaches:

• blue from the car park below Kułakowy Wierch – 5.4 km, about 1 h 30 min (the shortest),
• red from Rabka-Zdrój via Maciejowa – about 2 h 20 min,
• green from Nowy Targ-Kowaniec via Obidowa – about 2 h,
• green from Koninki via Obidowiec – about 2 h 25 min,
• yellow from Rabka-Zaryte via Olszówka – about 3 h 45 min,
• red onwards to Turbacz – about 2 h 10 min.

Tripto tip

For the Tatra panorama, pick a clear day in autumn or winter – in summer the peaks are often lost in haze. A good route is up the blue trail and down the red trail via Maciejowa to Rabka (you'll need transport back). In winter the glade becomes a ski area, so microspikes help on the approach. The glade lies on the edge of an enclave of Gorce National Park – stay on the trails and don't light fires except at the spot by the hut.