That's why long distance trails through several ranges are becoming increasingly popular. Tourists want to escape from the hustle and bustle of the big city, from the constant rush of everyday life. On the trail they will find silence and the opportunity to get to know their own limits. The Main Beskid Trail is one such opportunity.
The trail is named after Kazimierz Sosnowski, is marked in red and is the longest trail in the Polish mountains – it is about 500 km long. It starts in Ustroń in Beskid Śląski and ends in the village of Wołosate in Bieszczady. It leads through three provinces and several mountain ranges, showing a diverse landscape, as well as numerous natural and historical curiosities.
The trail was marked out in the interwar period and in the years 1935–1939 it bore the name of Józef Piłsudski. The western part of the trail was designed by Kazimierz Sosnowski, while the eastern part was designed by Mieczysław Orłowicz (the trail led to the Czarnohora which at that time was within Polish borders).
The Main Beskid Trail is not as technically demanding as the trails in the Tatra Mountains, however its total length of approximately 500 kilometres and the sum of ascents on the whole route totalling around twenty-one kilometres make covering the trail ‘at one go’ one of the most demanding ones. Sometimes doing the whole of MBT is driven by the desire to beat the record (winter crossing, running) or is a charity goal.
In order to popularise the trail, PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society) introduced the Main Beskid Trail badge. It can be earned as a result of a single crossing of the entire trail in no more than 21 days or by completing it in sections regardless of the duration and number of excursions. The scoring of the trips and the confirmation of their completion is carried out in accordance with the provisions of the PTTK Rules of the Mountain Tourist Badge.