Krawców Wierch and Gruba Buczyna in the Żywiec Beskids: A Mountain Hiking Guide

Krawców Wierch (1,084 m a.s.l.) and Gruba Buczyna (1,132 m a.s.l.) are peaks located in the Pilsko Group in the Żywiec Beskids. Both summits are situated in close proximity to each other along the blue tourist trail that runs along the Polish-Slovak border ridge (the section between the Glinka Pass and the Bory Orawskie Pass). The first of these peaks is better known to tourists, thanks to the PTTK mountain hut located nearby on the charming Krawcula clearing. Two marked trails lead to the facility: the yellow one from the village of Glinka and the blue one through the Straceniec ridge from Złatna. In this post, I will examine the first of the mentioned options. You are cordially invited!

Table of Contents

• Starting from Glinka
• Traversing the Slopes of Glinka (929 m)
• Mountain Hut on Krawców Wierch
• Krawcula Clearing – The View
• Gruba Buczyna (1,132 m)
• Return to Glinka
• Trip Map
• Bibliography

Starting from Glinka

It is around lunchtime when my family and I arrive at the parking lot in the village of Glinka, Ujsoły municipality (coordinates: 49.4619103N, 19.1672128E, elevation: approx. 600 m a.s.l.). The parking lot is located in the central part of the village, near the volunteer fire department and a multi-purpose sports field with an outdoor gym. We do some last-minute grocery shopping at a nearby store, and then we head out onto the yellow trail. The route begins on an asphalt road, situated between the primary school and the local chapel.

The road climbs quite steeply, which allows for efficient elevation gain: a little over a kilometer, and we are already 200 meters higher. The asphalt quickly gives way first to concrete slabs and then to a dirt and stone surface. We are now walking through forests and picturesque meadows, passing individual buildings every now and then. Just about 15 minutes after starting the trek, a lovely panorama of the nearby Muńcuł (1,165 m a.s.l.) and Mała Rycerzowa (1,207 m a.s.l.) opens up before our eyes. Less than two kilometers from leaving Glinka, we pass a turn-off to Kubiesówka, a private mountain hostel situated at an altitude of 868 m a.s.l.

Traversing the Slopes of Glinka (929 m a.s.l.)

We continue through a dense spruce forest, traversing the slope of the Glinka peak (929 m a.s.l.) from the south. Over the next two kilometers, our trail leads along a wide path that climbs gently upwards. The surroundings are very pleasant: just a quiet Beskid forest, occasionally interspersed with grassy clearings. Since the August sun is shining extremely brightly today, I treat the opportunity to hide in the deciduous shade as a special privilege. In the upper part of the trail, at an altitude of about 910 m a.s.l., the yellow trail begins to run parallel to the green trail. As we gain altitude, increasingly interesting panoramas of the nearby peaks of the Żywiec Beskids peek through the trees.

Mountain Hut on Krawców Wierch

A little over an hour after leaving the village of Glinka, we arrive at the beautiful Krawcula clearing (1,020 – 1,070 m a.s.l.). It is a vast meadow spreading out on the gentle western slopes of Krawców Wierch. The clearing was once used for grazing, but since the mid-20th century, sheep grazing in the Żywiec Beskids has been almost completely abandoned. A small mountain hostel stands in the clearing – the PTTK “bacówka” (shepherd’s hut style hostel) below Krawców Wierch. Due to its location somewhat away from the main trails of the Żywiec Beskids, the place is much quieter than other such facilities in the region. The hostel offers 35 beds and a buffet, where we order some delicious pierogi.

The hut on Krawców Wierch was built in 1976 as part of an interesting concept by an important PTTK activist, Edward Moskała. This man noticed that Beskid mountain huts were increasingly bursting at the seams, filled to the brim with participants of company trips or university rallies. In Moskała’s opinion, this situation was highly unfavorable for the individual tourist traversing the mountains with a heavy backpack, consciously, and with a love for nature and mountain panoramas. The activist therefore initiated a project to build a network of PTTK huts – small mountain hostels based on the same design, intended not so much to bring profit to the owners, but rather to serve qualified (i.e., individual) tourism. In the Beskids themselves, Edward Moskała opened ten such facilities, often filling important gaps in the local infrastructure. In addition to Krawców Wierch, a second such hut operates in the Żywiec Beskids – on the Rycerzowa clearing.

Krawcula Clearing – The View

After eating in the hut, we walk up to the higher parts of the Krawcula clearing. A beautiful, idyllic view stretches from the meadow to the west and south-west. Ahead of us, Muńcuł, Bendoszka Wielka, as well as Mała and Wielka Rycerzowa loom in the distance. To the right, a panorama of Rachowiec and the main ridge of the Silesian Beskids (with Barania Góra and Skrzyczne) opens up before our eyes. On the left, we can see the peaks of the Polish-Slovak border range (including Jaworzyna, Wysoka Magura), and in the background, the jagged peaks of the Lesser Fatra. It is truly beautiful!

And where did the name of the Krawcula clearing and Krawców Wierch come from? Well, supposedly there once lived an exceptionally talented tailor in the Żywiec region. When the local count learned about the outstanding craftsman, he ordered him to sew a beautiful sheepskin coat. The tailor was under immense pressure because the penalty for an unsatisfactory work was to be public beheading. Happily, the count liked the coat so much that its creator received the entire Krawcula clearing into his possession. Since then, in the summer, the tailor grazed sheep, and in the winter, he created beautiful clothes in the hut.

Gruba Buczyna (1,132 m a.s.l.)

At this point, most of our team is getting ready to descend, but Martyna and I decide to extend the trip a bit. We hike above the Krawcula clearing, diving into a dense mixed forest. A dozen meters or so above the clearing, the yellow trail ends, and we reach the border ridge. We turn left now, taking the Slovak blue trail. In this way, after a while, we reach the actual summit of Krawców Wierch (1,084 m a.s.l.). Next, we remain on the blue trail, following it eastward for a kilometer. The trail here is comfortable and wide, but quite monotonous. The path runs through a dense forest, and only in some places to the right do views of Pilsko and nearby peaks open up.

From Krawców Wierch, we descend to a shallow pass (approx. 1,060 m a.s.l.), and then we conquer a short but intense climb to the summit of Gruba Buczyna (Hrubá Bučina, 1,132 m a.s.l.), overgrown with dense thickets. I usually refer to peaks like this as “mountains for connoisseurs,” because indeed – few tourists have a need to venture here. If we had continued along the blue trail, after five kilometers we would have reached the boggy Bory Orawskie pass, and further on – towards Palenica and Munczolik. In the other direction from Krawców Wierch, the ridge track leads for three kilometers to the Glinka Pass, where there is a Polish-Slovak border crossing.

Return to Glinka

On Gruba Buczyna, we turn back, running down to Glinka the same way we arrived. By the way, running in the Beskids is a really great thing: the profile of the mountains is usually quite gentle, and thanks to this form, you can cover less interesting sections of the planned route in a very efficient and quick way. Finally, we reach the bottom around 5:00 PM. We spent a lovely family afternoon on Krawców Wierch, combined with interesting views and a valuable running workout. A perfect day!

Date of the trip: August 16, 2024

Trip statistics: 14 km; 600 meters of elevation difference

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Trip Map

Bibliography

• Figiel S., Franczak P., Janicka-Krzywda U., Krzywda P., Beskid Żywiecki. Przewodnik (Żywiec Beskids. Guidebook), 4th edition, Rewasz Publishing, Pruszków 2023.