I was determined to get the most of out my last day in the Tatras by finally doing a proper, energetic hike. The most popular entry point for the Polish side of the park was a short drive away from my chalet, so I set off early……to find the place already heaving with people. I had pre-booked my parking space but I still had to stop around 1km away and take a shuttle bus to get to the park entrance. There, a large queue waited to buy entry permits, but with my e-ticket I could just walk straight in.
From the entrance a long asphalted road provided the only option for walking deeper into the park. It seemed like half the population of Poland had decided to go hiking that day. Occasionally a horse drawn carriage would pass me, an option for those unable or too lazy to walk. Often the road was very pretty, but I got sick of the presence of so many other people and of walking on asphalt.
After a couple of kilometres, I was relieved when I saw my intended trail leading off to the right, away from the crowded road. It was great to get on to a proper hiking path, with dirt under my boots rather than bitumen. The trail was also much less busy, and I began to enjoy the scenery as it led upwards.
The views got more and more impressive, until finally I reached a pretty waterfall.
The path then continued up to the Valley of the Five Lakes – a justifiably famous highlight of the High Tatras. Five beautiful, perfectly clear lakes lay at the bottom of a broad valley, their water reflecting the surrounding mountains. It was a great place to stop for a bit.
There was a chalet by one of the lakes selling snacks and drinks, so I ordered a well-known Polish energy drink – beer.
Suitably refreshed, I continued my walk enjoying the wide, open countryside.
At first, I was puzzled; I could see the path stretching out ahead and then zigzagging up the base of a very steep mountain. But then it seemed to disappear, and from a distance I could see no obvious way of climbing the imposing peak that was blocking my way.
When I got closer however, I saw that my route went straight up a steep rock face, where chains had been set into the stone to help people clamber up.
Bears are good at climbing, and this made a pleasant change to the increasingly steep walking I had been doing. Soon I was on top of the utterly unpronounceable peak “Szpiglasowy Wierch” and was rewarded with some of the most amazing mountain scenery I had ever seen, with a 360-degree view of the peaks and lakes of the High Tatras.
Having invested so much effort to get up, I spent thirty minutes at the top, finding myself a nice little nook away from the steady stream of climbers arriving and descending. Invigorated by the view, I started the descent to another of the High Tatras’ famous attractions – the large mountain lake, Morskie Oko, or “the eye of the sea”. This part of the hike was less impressive – a steady, slow descent along a well-paved trail. The famously skilled Polish builders also seemed to have been busy in the park; the trails were often made of carefully laid mountain rocks, offering a flat staircase to walk up or down.
I arrived at Morskie Oko to find a mountain lake that was slightly bigger than the ones I had seen before, and a chalet selling food and drink, which was besieged by hundreds of visitors.
After the tranquil beauty of the Valley of the Five Lakes and the spectacular views from Szpiglasowy Wierch, it was a disappointment. Morskie Oko suffers hugely from its popularity and its accessibility – to get there is a 5km hike from the park entrance along a gently sloping asphalted road.
It was along this road that I had to hike back, accompanied by hundreds of other people – some with backpacks looking fit and serious, others in T-shirts carrying pints of beer – and the inevitable horse-drawn carriages. It was an anticlimactic way to end what had been until then a truly memorable hike, and I hurried to finish it as quickly as I could. Arriving back at my car park, I had covered around 26km, and was glad to be able to sit down.
It has been a strange walk – most of it was memorable, amongst the best hiking I had ever done, but the very last part was extremely boring and initially spoiled my enjoyment. However, after a few days, the memory of the dull plod back from Morskie Oko faded, leaving the happy memories of the Valley of the Five Lakes and the views from the top of Szpiglasowy Wierch. So, to end on a high note, here are a few more photos of the best of the Polish Tatras.
Back at my chalet I cooked burgers and steak on my barbecue and had the pleasant task of finishing off the stocks of food and alcohol I bought for my stay in the mountains (perhaps deliberately, I had bought a little too much of each). The next day I was due to leave the Tatras for a completely different type of travel experience.
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Trouspinet travels 
C’est magnifique!
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