Bledow Desert and Checiny Castle with kids

Where is the best place to see the Bledow Desert? From the Czubatka viewpoint in Klucze: from the wooden terrace you can see sand all the way to the horizon, and it takes about 20 minutes on the yellow trail to walk down to the sand itself. The desert covers about 33 km², but the northern part is a military training area, so you can enter only from the south. We were here in the morning in August 2020, and in the afternoon we visited the rebuilt royal castle in Checiny.

The day before, we had walked in Ojcow National Park. The plan of our whole 2020 holiday is in the post Poland road trip with kids 2020.

The Bledow Desert with kids

On Friday 14 August we drove 22 km from the Nasza Dolina campsite to Klucze. Why is there a desert in the middle of Poland? The sand was left here by glaciers, and for centuries people cut down the nearby forests for silver and lead mines. Without the forest the sand started to move, and this is how the desert was born.

From the wooden platforms we had a view of a flat, bright sheet of sand. It was hot and cloudless, so almost like in a real desert. On the platform we took a family photo, and our daughter spread her arms as if she wanted to hug all that sand.

The Royal Castle in Checiny

From Klucze we drove 100 km north-east to Checiny. The castle stands on a hill above the town. It already existed in 1306, later it was extended by King Casimir the Great and Queen Bona, and in the 17th century the Swedes destroyed it. In 2013-2015 the castle was restored and the western tower was rebuilt. Today it is a viewpoint.

For the kids the castle was full of things to check out:

• a throne with a crown and a red cape,
• a wooden cage and a figure of a horse,
• a cannon on the tower,
• a tent with a laid wooden table, like at a medieval feast,
• boards with knights and a cut-out hole for your face, for photos.

From the tower you can see the area, including the white walls of the quarries. It was August 2020, so we wore face masks in the castle. In front of the gate there was a fair with wicker baskets and pottery.

An evening in Suchedniow

From Checiny we drove 41 km into the Holy Cross Mountains, to the campsite in Swieta Katarzyna below Lysica. We stayed there for less than 40 minutes and drove on, 21 km to Suchedniow, where we spent the night at campsite no. 140. It is run by the town sports and recreation centre, and it lies by the Kamionka reservoir. For dinner we had pizza with rocket and broccoli, eaten at a folding table by our tent.

Fun fact

According to a legend, Queen Bona hid her treasures in the castle in Checiny. And in good weather, from the castle tower you can see Lysa Gora, which we climbed two days later.

The next days

From Suchedniow we spent two days walking in the Holy Cross Mountains: Lysica and Holy Cross with kids. We had already been in this region in 2015, see Krzyztopor and Kurozweki.

Practical info

We checked in November 2026.

• Bledow Desert: free entry. Viewpoints: Czubatka in Klucze (a terrace and a big car park), Rose of the Winds and Dabrowka in Chechlo. You may walk onto the sand only from the south, the north is a military area.
• There is no shade on the sand, so in hot weather bring hats and water.
• Checiny Castle: today an adult ticket is PLN 23, reduced PLN 19 and a family ticket PLN 74. Climbing the towers is included in the ticket price.
• Campsite no. 140 in Suchedniow: by the Kamionka reservoir, with a lifeguarded swimming area in the season.