For the night we stayed near Buczyniec Ramp. There’s a brand-new campsite, which was established during the revitalization of the site with an EU grant. Reconstruction took place in the years 2011 – 2015. We got there soon after the renovation. The ramp was opened in May 2015 after a two-year break.
The Buczyniec ramp is one of five slipways – the machinery that allows ships to overcome a large difference in ground level on the Elbląg Canal. In Buczyniec the vertical rise is 20.62m. Vessels enter a special cart on one side, and the machine moves it in a basket along the tracks. As it moves, the water is displaced and the ship is in the air. On the other side of the ramp, when the basket falls below the water level, the ship itself begins to float.
Crossings of the ramp only take place during the day, so we needed to wait till the next morning to watch this process. In the evening we only went for a short walk to see the whole area.
At the campsite we were alone. There was only one lady who looked after the campsite from a caravan. The best part was that the whole campsite was free. Therefore there was no great comfort — there was only a mobile toilet, no hot water. The campsite was very nice, with beautiful hedges between alleys prepared for tents. There are also shelters, a playground, and a fireplace. The only thing missing was access to a lake or river. The river where the ships sail is not suitable for swimming.
The next morning we had a super surprise. Storks came to the campsite and got very close.
Apparently, when the maintenance period of the EU project ends, the campsite will be leased. Then they will start charging for use of the fields and then most likely there will be toilet buildings and maybe some other amenities.
One disadvantage of this place is that there are a lot of horseflies around the ramp. The children had a great opportunity to get to know this creature. They learned to swat them — “snap him!” — when one begins to bite.
In the morning we packed up the car and went to see the crossing. Suddenly, a lady dressed like a sailor appeared and greeted us. She had a walkie-talkie in her hand and handed out business cards in case we wanted to use the ship’s services. You can see that the ramp crossing is managed from the mainland.
We saw the crossing of two ships. Both crossed the ramp at the same time. While one basket goes down, at the same time the second approaches the top.
It was nice to be able to see the “flying boats”. I think even a better view is from the shore than from the ship. Conclusion – if you want to see only the crossing of ships on the ramp – it makes no sense to buy a ticket for the cruise.