RV tour of northern Poland From Hel to Grudziądz

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This is my summer tour of 2019 which takes in Hel, Gdańsk, Kashubia, Elbląg, Tczew, Gniew and Grudziądz.
I started off in Hel. Hel is a fishing located at the very end of the Hel peninsula. It was once a military area closed to visitors but now it is a tourist destination in summer.
Hel is noted for its seal sanctuary. Seals can be found in this part of the Baltic Sea. So of course a visit to the seal sanctuary and museum is a must!
There is also a historic lighthouse which one can visit which is close to the campsite where friends of mine were staying. The campsite may seem expensive but I would ask people to remember that it is only open for a very short season and it can offer this fantastic location!
Also worth seeing in Hel and the military fortifications which run into three distinct phases – the pre war period which covers the Battle of the Hel Peninsula in September 1939, Hel being the last place which surrendered to the Nazi invaders. There are also military remains from the Nazi occupation and from the communist period when Hel was a closed area. One can see these military structures by taking the newly built walkway around the tip of the peninsula either by bike or on foot.
From Hel I drove back down the peninsula. I had planned on stopping at a couple of places en route but everywhere was full. So I went to Rzucewo. I found the overnight location from Park4Night but I had been to Rzucewo many times before. I lived in Gdynia in the 1990s and often use to come here. Today there is an outdoor museum where one can see how seal hunters lived in prehistoric times.
There is also a castle. This dates back to 1840 – it is not as old as it looks. It belonged to the same family until 1945 when it was turned into an agricultural co-operative. In 1994 the current castle was built.
The next stop was Gdynia Orłowo. There is a car park which I have seen used by motorhomes near the pier – in fact I stayed there in my campervan in 2011.
In Gdańsk I stayed at a place which was designated Eco Parking – I think because the shuttle buses that run from there are not diesel operated. This was an outstanding location being only a few hundred metres from the coast and this allowed me to see the sun coming over the sea at dawn promising another fine summer day.
From Gdańsk I went to the village of Łapino where I visited campervan producer Balcamp. This village is on a lake and as I have been meaning to do a video on hydroelectric plants in the former Free City of Gdańsk for at least ten years, it allowed me to look at one of them. There is also a rather curious railway service there!
From Łapino, I went to Przywidz and in particular to the wonderful Lawendowa Osada. This is a recent agro tourism destination, started by a couple from the area with a fascination for lavender. As I also am interested in lavender, although admittedly not to the same level at they do, I had to visit. They have spent years developing this location, they prepare the food, they collect the lavender and they are doing the building work to develop it further. They have a small astronomical observatory so we were able to look at the moon in detail in which I have never seen it, as well as Saturn and many stars!
Anyway, if you think I am biased, have a look at their reviews. You will see that it is not just my opinion!
Whilst there, I of course visited the town of Przywidz, and I shall be doing a video on it and in particular and unusual story from the stables there!
From here I went to Elbląg. One curious location on the road there is Nowa Kościelnica where one finds two Mennonite houses which are probably hundreds of years old. The Mennonites are an Anabaptist religious denomination, I think which is similar to the Amish in the USA.
Elbląg has an interesting Old Town which has been rebuilt. The rebuilding of Elbląg is very well documented in the history museum which has a very clever juxtaposition of hundreds of years of life with the pile of ruins WW2 left it in.
From here I went to Tczew. I stayed next to the two historic bridges over the Vistula river.
From Tczew I went to Gniew. Gniew must be one of the most attractive villages in Poland. Its medieval brick Gothic castle which was originally built by the Teutonic Order at the end of the fourteenth century.
From Gniew I made my way south following the Vistula river until I came to Grudziądz. Along the banks of the Vistula one finds ancient granaries which have now been converted to residential or business use. The grain trade was once the life blood of the Vistula river – one sees this is many locations and of course above all in Gdańsk.
From the top of the Klimek tower one gets a very good few of the town, the Vistula and the countryside beyond….
I stayed in the new municipal motorhome parking area in the marina with great views of the river and the historic bridge.