A one-day trip is the simplest way to start out, or return to the water, without planning a big expedition. You take a kayak from a rental firm in the morning, paddle for a few hours and by the afternoon you are at the finish – no camping, no packing for several days and no hunting for a bed for the night. A well-chosen stretch is usually from a dozen or so to twenty-odd kilometres, with straightforward logistics for the way back. Below I have gathered stretches from different parts of Poland, grouped by who they are for – I describe each one in more detail in a separate article, which the link leads to.
What makes a good one-day trip
For a few hours of paddling with a break it is comfortable to plan fifteen to twenty-five kilometres – the pace depends on the current, the wind and the number of portages. On top of that comes the way back to the car, because most river trails are linear: it is easiest when you take the kayak from a rental firm that drops it at the start and picks it up at the finish. Before you choose, match the stretch to the least experienced person in the group and check the water level and the weather. I write more about choosing itself in the guide on how to choose a trip route.
Calm stretches for a first time and for families
If you are paddling with children or for the first time, look for a calm, lowland river with no difficult portages. On the Liswarta, the Danków-Zawady stretch is about twelve kilometres of clean, meandering water below the ruins of the castle in Danków – short, gentle and picturesque. A day on the Nida between Pińczów and Chroberz goes much the same way: seventeen kilometres of the warm, lazy river of the Ponidzie, passing the Wielopolski palace in Chroberz. In the Opole region an easy, entirely forested choice is the Mała Panew on the Zawadzkie-Kolonowskie stretch, about seventeen kilometres of calm current through the pine woods.
Forest settings and wild water
Anyone after forest and quiet will love the Brda on the Rytel-Woziwoda stretch – eighteen kilometres of a narrow, winding river in the heart of the Bory Tucholskie, the one most often recommended for a single day. Closer to central Poland, the Pilica from Tomaszów Mazowiecki to Inowłódz has a similar character: about twenty kilometres of a wide, sandy river, with the famous Niebieskie Źródła right by the start. Both stretches are technically easy, yet they give a sense of real wilderness.
For those keen on a clear current
In the south the rivers run faster and rapids appear. The Bóbr between Wleń and Lwówek Śląski is one of the prettiest, and at the same time easier, stretches of the valley – eighteen kilometres below the Lenno castle, good for a single day. The Nysa Kłodzka from Bystrzyca Kłodzka to Kłodzko already carries the mountain current of the Kotlina Kłodzka, about twenty kilometres among medieval walls. The strongest impressions come from the Przełom Pieniński on the Dunajec from Sromowce to Szczawnica – eighteen kilometres between the walls of the Pieniny, but this is already fast water with rapids, for people with experience or on an organised trip, not for a first time.
How to plan the way back
Think the way back through before you get into the kayak. The simplest option is to hire the gear on the spot – rental firms usually drop the kayaks at the start and pick them up at the finish, so you do not have to juggle the car. If you are paddling with your own gear, arrange a lift with someone, because paddling back upstream will not be easy. Check too exactly where you put the kayak in and where you finish the trip – the descriptions of individual rivers in the atlas give these places along with the length and difficulty of the stretch.
Before you set off: water level, weather and gear
Even the easiest stretch can wear you down in bad water. Too low a level exposes the stones and the rapids, too high a level speeds up the current – so before you go, check the current water level at the nearest gauge and the weather forecast. You put the buoyancy aid on at the start and wear it for the whole trip. What to pack for a few hours I describe in the guide on what to take on a trip, and the rules on the water in the guide on safety.
In short: where to paddle for a single day
For families and a first time: the Liswarta below Danków, the Nida below Pińczów, the Mała Panew below Zawadzkie. For forest settings: the Brda in the Bory Tucholskie and the Pilica below Tomaszów. For those keen on a current: the Bóbr below Wleń, the Nysa Kłodzka below Kłodzko, and for the experienced the Przełom Pieniński on the Dunajec. Each of these stretches fits into a single day – choose by the group, the region and how much current you want under the bow.