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Land of Open Shutters

Below you'll find a description of the whole route, with a link to it on Google Maps at the end.

Route: Zabłudów – Trześcianka – Puchły – Soce – Ryboły.

Main features of the route:

Moderate truck traffic,

Mostly asphalt roads running through both forests and fields,

Note – 20% of the route is on gravel side roads. The motorcycle can “slide” on loose sand

Plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy nature.

Start – Zabłudów

We start the route in Zabłudów. From here we set off into a land of traditional yet very colourful architecture. Our first stop is Trześcianka. Travel time: 11 min (12.6 km)

Find out more:https://bialystoksubiektywnie.com/blog/2021/11/30/trzescianka-historia-zabytki-galeria-kraina-otwartych-okiennic/

The village is famous for its unique 19th-century wooden architecture, rich in colourful shutters and carved details (woodcarving ornaments). The highlight is the historic green Orthodox Church of St Michael the Archangel, built in 1864–1867, which houses a valuable iconostasis.

We ride on – Puchły – travel time: 6 minutes (4.8 km)

Puchły – the Blue Orthodox Church

Find out more: https://bialystoksubiektywnie.com/blog/2016/09/30/puchly-najpiekniejsza-cerkiew-podlasia/

Puchły is famous for its historic, richly decorated wooden architecture and is one of the key stops on the tourist trail known as the Land of Open Shutters. The village is also known throughout Poland for its beautiful blue Orthodox Church of the Protection of the Mother of God.

A few dozen metres past the church you can walk down to a footbridge over the Narew river. The views are amazing, not least because of the remote, secluded feel.

We ride on – Soce – 11 minutes – 4.5 km

Soce – land of true Podlasie locals (from 30 minutes)

The village of Soce is on our route for a reason. This is where you meet the real “locals”. And of course, there are houses decorated with beautiful shutters. The village museum is well worth a visit.

Find out more: https://bialystoksubiektywnie.com/blog/2016/06/29/soce-wies-podlaskich-indian/

On the way we pass the villages of Ciełuszki and Kaniuki and arrive in Ryboły – 23 minutes – 19.5 km

The road to Ryboły

The entire stretch from Soce to Ryboły runs through villages that belong to the Land of Open Shutters, parallel to the Narew river.

It’s worth planning a few extra stops. Soak up the peace and quiet and enjoy it.

In Ryboły there’s one last interesting stop – the Orthodox Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian

This is my last stop. Apart from more of the same architecture, there’s something unusual here too. Along the national road, local residents set out their produce for sale. So it’s worth taking home not only memories, but also some genuinely organic vegetables.

From here it’s a straight run back to Zabłudów and the capital – Białystok.

Route time: from 2 to over 4 hours

OK. Below you’ll find a link to Google Maps so you can plan a few things yourself. Remember, I haven’t described all the attractions along the route – there’s much more waiting for you out there.

Left hand up and ride safe!