Leaving my campsite in Krakow I headed north, heading in the direction of Warsaw. The ride was utterly boring on the endless motorway. I hate motorway riding, but sometimes it has to be done if you want to make a big jump. At one point a guy on a Harley joined just ahead of me and as we were both cruising at the same speed of around 135kmph, we played tag for about 80kms. I was also shadowing him just in case something vibrated off his bike… 
On the outskirts of Warsaw the late morning the traffic was heavy, so I had to filter for a few Kms. Polish drivers are pretty good in that they move aside when they see a bike coming, leaving some space between the lanes. Or is it that they saw my daytime running lights and thought I was a cop..? Who knows… Eventually I made my way out of it and before long came off the motorway and hit the rural roads. And what a pleasure…!
The countryside in southern Poland is pretty featureless but after Warsaw the scenery was lovely. Lots of forests and rolling pastures. The latter half of the journey was great as I just soaked in the beautiful scenery. At one point I stopped for fuel at a garage – which had an SU-22 fighter jet on the forecourt. Wow.
I stopped off at Ostrołęka for a small break, and also to visit a Decathlon to get some camping gas. They didn’t sell gas but I did manage buy some mosquito repellent, as I was running low. Somehow I seem to attract mosquitos. It’s never a motorcycle manufacturer asking me to test their latest bike or even a wealthy suitor: it’s just mosquitoes that I attract…
When riding with other bikes there is invariably an Irish Parliament when a change is suggested, so one of the joys of riding on my own is that I can change my mind however and whenever I want. I was going to head for Byalistock, but after a recommendation by my old friend Richard Hargreaves (who is a WW2 historian, author and calzioni gourmet) I decided to head for the northern part of Poland on his recommendation, and to a place called Gierłoż – to visit the Wolf’s Lair.
I arrived at Gierłoż just after 5pm after a journey of around 600kms – or 375 miles in old money. Built in 1940 it was the Nazi’s northernmost headquarters, and also where the wee man with one testicle who had a god complex survived an unsuccessful bomb attack.
Next to the bunker complex is a campsite, and it’s great. It was 180zt for two nights (around £30), which includes the price of admission to the bunker complex. And it was well worth it just for the hot power shower. Brilliant. The best showers I’ve ever experienced at a campsite. And with so much hot water I even managed to do some of my laundry, which I left on a makeshift washing line overnight.
There were around 20+ campervans here when I arrived and they were quite noisy in the evening. And why does someone decide at 11pm that now is the time to rearrange their luggage compartment…? Also, why do they always slam their doors ..?
On the whole, once the other campers settle down, the campsite is quiet and peaceful. Perhaps eerily quiet…
