Teutonic castle and "water castles"
Bytowa

Bytowa

Kayaking routes proposal

1. Bytów – Jezioro Głębokie (22 km)

Kayaking attractions

1.Bytów
2.Zalew rzeki Bytowy
3.Jezioro Głębokie
4.Park Krajobrazowy Dolina Słupi

Worth seeing

Bytów: perfectly maintained castle of the Teutonic Order, historical town complex, Saint Katherine Church ruins, old mill, and an railroad bridge over river Boruja. Bytowa river lagoon: a midforest dammed lake in the Słupia valley, formed after partitioning Słupia with a dam. From that location up to Kamieniec, Słupia’s old bed does not carry water. Whereas, Bytowa goes through the old Słupia valley in the opposite direction near the Głębokie Lake. Waters of Bytowa and Słupia then supply the water power plant in Gałąźnia Mała. Głębokie Lake: a vast ribbon lake powered by Słupia and Bytowa thanks to an excavation executed during the construction of a water power plant. By the Głębokie Lake, at its north-west end, a “water lock” is located, which regulates the inflow of water into the pipes of the Gałąźnia Mała water power plant. Słupia Valley Landscape Park: the only valley landscape park in Pomerania protecting various natural ecosystems of the central part of the heavily forested Słupia valley between Soszyca and Słupsk.

Bytowa is one of Słupia’s tributaries, navigable from the center of Bytów – the largest urban center of the Bytów Land. It is one of the easier kayaking trails in this part of the region, almost completely lacking obstacles and suitable for family kayaking trips. Initially Bytowa goes through grasslands and possesses the form of a regulated canal, but becomes more interesting in the second half of the trail. There the river goes through vast forests of the Słupia valley. An additional attraction consists in the Zalew Bytowski – an artificially created forest lake. In the past, at that point Bytowa entered Słupia which old bed has been partitioned with a dam during the construction of the water power plant in Gałąźnia Mała. From that moment the Bytowa trail leads in the opposite direction than Słupia in the past, to meet it near the Głębokie Lake. Both rivers flow together to that lake through an artificial excavation. The kayaking should be ended after the following 2 kilometers at a marina near Gałęzowo, at the north side of the lake.

Information
  • Trail length: 20
  • Number of days: 1
  • Number of portages: 0
  • Recommended route of the trip: Bytów - Jezioro Głębokie (22 km)
  • Difficulty: easy river, suitable for family canoeing trips