The watery wonders of Poland

Rachel Roberts boarded WizzAir’s inaugural flight from Luton to Olsztyn to explore Poland’s show-stopping Great Masurian Lake District

We were worried about Clara, the small sandy-coloured dog who’d run beside our horse-drawn cart into the leafy green forest for the past half hour. Something had captured her attention and she’d disappeared, her barks fading as she ran ever further away.

Seeing our panic stricken expressions, our guide was quick to reassure us. "She’s a forest creature and knows exactly where she is," he smiled. So we continued with our ride, accompanied by the hypnotic timp-tamping of summer rain on the cart’s canopy and the gentle whinnying of the two magnificent horses out front.

It was the second day of our short trip to Poland’s Great Masurian Lake District in the north-east corner of the country. It’s been a relatively unknown destination to the UK tourist, who aim to tick off Warsaw, Krakow and Auschwitz when they visit.

Which is a real shame. Landscaped with over 2000 lakes and corridors of dense forest, this stunning area is a natural playground for yachtspeople, kayakers, anglers, hikers and bikers. And their German neighbours have long-known about this gem, hopping over the border to join holidaying Poles to spend long, lazy summer days on the water.

Until now, it’s been a bit of a schlepp to reach the region, with visitors facing long onward journeys after flying into Warsaw or Gdansk. However, following a Facebook campaign from fed-up Masurians living in the UK, WizzAir has chartered a two-hour flight from Luton to Olsztyn, every Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday.

Rivers and canals link many of the lakes, so the region is pure paradise for yachties. It’s also great for cyclists, with no huge inclines to puff/pedal your way up. At our first lake, Niegocin, near Gizycko, one of the main lakeside centres, a children’s regatta was in full swing. Scores of little white-sailed boats, skippered by young captains, zipped across the glittering water. Later, we tucked into traditional peirogi (dumplings) while medals were awarded to the winners.

We visited in June, a great time to avoid the manic crowds of peak months July and August, and a highlight was an exhilarating speedboat ride across part of Sniardwy, the largest lake in the water-filled region. Above, biplanes puttered in the air – they’re a great way to get an aerial overview of the area and you can hire the plane and pilot for a bargain price of 450 zlottys (£80).

This is a place to come and relax, and it’s still a steal, post-Brexit. Grand, castle-style hotels are a hallmark of the region and numerous spas also offer the chance the recuperate. So if you’re not up for taking a dip in the lakes, there are water therapies galore to indulge in.

We had a great time in the five-star spa and wellness complex at the Hotel Mikolajki, working our way around the aqua therapy water jets and sweating out the toxins from the night before in a variety of steam rooms.

Well, it would be rude to visit Poland and not sample Wodka, their national drink. Produced here since the eighth century, vodka is traditionally served neat, and kept chilled in wine-style ice buckets at dinner. It also comes in every flavor under the sun, from cherry (very sweet and moreish) to Bison grass-infused versions.

But hands-down the best eating experience came on our last day. Just outside the village of Ukta, we worked up an appetite looking around Kadzidlowo museum, a place crammed with 18th-century artefacts, including an intact schoolroom and all manner of spinning wheels, butter churners, cobbler equipment and even old-fashioned hair straighteners.

The little rural settlement also boasts lovely rustic wooden houses you can rent, and a restaurant, Oberza Pod Psem. All of the food on the menu here is grown in their impressive kitchen gardens and we sat outside, tucking into a procession of amazing dishes, including Polish charcuterie (wedliny), fried cheese and golden chanterelle mushroom soup.

And what of Clara, the runaway forest dog? As predicted, towards the end of our forest trip, she had indeed raced into a clearing to rejoin us. Back at the base, she’d curled up and let out a sigh before falling into a deep, contented sleep.

Sitting in the warm dappled afternoon sunshine after our four-day tour of this unforgettable region of Poland, we knew just how she felt.

For further info, please visit: Poland.Travel or mazurytravel.com.pl