Brda – easy section (Piła Młyn – Koronowski Reservoir – Bydgoszcz Fordon)

Section length: 75 km

The section from the Koronowski Reservoir to Bydgoszcz Fordon is considered easy. It is recommended for beginner kayakers and families with children. The river current is peaceful, with no obstacles. Among others, kayakers paddle through Samociążek, Janowo and Opławiec.

From Piła Młyn onwards, Brda slows down to become completely peaceful in the wide and long backwater which is the beginning of the Koronowski Reservoir. You reach a marina in Gostycyn-Nogawica. Many kayaking trips end here. When you paddle on, you pass the mouth of the Kamionka River on the right. The route leads through a body of water surrounded by forests. The trip continues under a former railway bridge and then into a more extensive waterbody. You turn left and pass a holiday resort. You reach the marina in Sokole-Kuźnica and then paddle past more holiday resorts and a ferry crossing. Several kilometres further, on the south bank, you can see buildings, including holiday resorts and marinas in Romanowo (Koronowo) and Pieczyska. You should steer well clear of them and paddle left, to a pass which connects the reservoir with Lake Lipkusz. Paddle past holiday resorts and a marina on the right and go under a road bridge in Wilcze Gardło. Then, along the Lateralny Canal, you reach Lake Białe. Further on, paddle past Samociążek, a holiday resort, where you will find campsites. Near the hydroelectric power station, there is a portage of 200 m along a fence. After the dam, you launch your kayak on the Brda River. From here, you can paddle upstream for 5 km and reach the centre of Koronowo. Near Okole, you go through a valley, among meadows and fields. The speed of the current depends on the amount of water which flows through the power station. As you paddle down the river, the current starts to become weaker. This is the sign that the dam reservoir Tryszczyn begins. Near the hydroelectric power station, there is an 80 m portage. The current becomes faster. You paddle under the bridge in Bożenkowo-Zdroje and reach Bydgoszcz-Janowo. There is a marina on the way. You paddle under a bridge and past a hydroelectric power station. Here, there is another portage along the left bank. After you have passed the power station, the current speeds up. You paddle along a relatively wild and green part of Brda when you take into account city conditions. With time, you pass more and more allotments and then, a tributary of the Bydgoski Canal near the Okole Sluice. You pass a kayaking club marina and finally reach brick railway bridges. When you have passed the bridges, you paddle through a built-up area. Then you cross the Miejska Lock, which is quite an attraction. You must not forget that during lockage you need to stay as far as possible from the lock gates, hold on to one of the stepladders or a neighbouring kayak. Next, you observe the falling water and after the gate is opened, go straight to Bydgoszcz Marina and Młyńska Island. Later on, you paddle through the most beautiful part of Bydgoszcz, from the Młyńska Island, the parish church and granaries to the moored historic Lemara Barge. On the way, you go under bridges and footbridges and next to the tightrope walker sculpture, which is the city’s landmark. Then, you leave the Old Town and reach a wider section of the river. As the current is weak, you should be ready for more paddling. Past the Bernardyński Bridge, there are several rowing and kayaking clubs. Downstream of the Esperanto Footbridge, there is the Łuczniczka sports-and-entertainment arena as well as Park Centralny (Central Park). Once you have past the Pomorski Bridge, trees and thickets appear along the river banks. You paddle past the Wyspa na Kapuściskach island and the Zimne Wody district. The area along the river is of a clearly industrial character. Before the railway bridge, on the right, there is a kayak marina and a campsite Zimne Wody (where you can finish your kayaking trip). If you paddle on, you go under railway bridges and onto a broad backwater, which is the Brdyujście regatta course. On the right, you pass a weir on the Brda and on the left there are marinas. On the right side of the course, there is the entrance into the Czersko Polskie lock. You paddle onto Vistula and a moment later, you finish the Brda kayaking trip on the left bank, at the concrete slip, which is located along the extension of the Kwarcowa Street. Tenacious kayakers may end the trip in Bydgoszcz Fordon District, near a temporary ferry crossing or right after the road and railway bridges, on a sandy bank along the extension of A. Frycza – Modrzewskiego Street (+2.7 km). Both ending points are located on the left Vistula River bank.

The city section of the Brda River, from the place where the Bydgoszcz Canal meets the Vistula, is also a navigation route for passenger vessels, water buses, barges, yachts and motorboats. Be particularly careful about the waves caused by these vessels.

 

 

Information
  • Trail length: 75 km