Rega River

The Rega is a river in north-western Poland that flows through the Świdwin, Łobez and Gryfice counties and reaches the Baltic at Mrzeżyno. Depending on the publication, it is between 167.8 and 199 km long, a difference caused by its strong meandering. For visitors it is above all a canoe route and an angling water, and six towns lie on its banks: Świdwin, Łobez, Resko, Płoty, Gryfice and Trzebiatów.

Course of the river

The source of the Rega lies about 0.3 km from the hamlet of Imienko in the municipality of Połczyn-Zdrój, at an altitude of 177.5 m above sea level. The river flows through the West Pomeranian Lakeland and the Szczecin Coastal Plain. The channel in the upper course is 5 to 8 m wide, and further down 6 to 30 m, with a depth of 1-2 m. The lower section has been reshaped by drainage works and hydraulic engineering, while the features of a river in its natural course are visible above Resko. There are eight small hydroelectric plants on the Rega, and the two reservoirs are Lake Rejowice and Lake Lisowo.

Canoeing

According to the PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society) and PZKaj guide, the Rega route is among the finer canoe routes in Poland. It is rated as easy, though in places fairly tiring in the upper and middle course. Along much of its length the banks are lined with bushes and trees, so during a trip you can feel as if you are constantly in a forest. Many access points lead to the river, so a trip can be planned on different sections and for different lengths.

On the route from Sława to the mouth there are ten unavoidable portages, caused by hydroelectric plants or low bridges. Traditionally, the national PTTK canoe trip “Down the Rega to the Sea” was held in July over a distance of 147 km. Forty such trips were held up to 2007. The PTTK “Wicher” Canoe Club operates from Gryfice. Gryfice County also planned a network of canoe landings in Płoty, Gryfice, Trzebiatów and Mrzeżyno under the name “By Canoe to the Sea”.

Towns on the Rega

In turn, the river passes Świdwin, Łobez, Resko, Płoty, Gryfice and Trzebiatów. Guidebooks point to the heritage sites in these towns as well as to the scenery of the river itself. In the Middle Ages Gryfice and Trzebiatów belonged to the Hanseatic League, and the river gave them access to the sea and to trade.

The mouth at Mrzeżyno

The Rega flows into the Baltic at Mrzeżyno. The final stretch is part of the waters of the port in Mrzeżyno, which is used by fishing boats and small yachts. The mouth was dug through wooded dunes in 1457. Before that the river ran parallel to the coast as far as Lake Resko Przymorskie, and a trace of the old channel is the Stara Rega, which leaves the river at the start of Mrzeżyno.

Fish and angling

The Rega is home mainly to brown trout, roach and pike. Salmon and sea trout swim into the lower Rega to spawn, and the river is an important ecological corridor. It is also an extensive fishery on which angling competitions are held. Almost the whole valley from Lake Klęckie to Trzebiatów lies within the “Dorzecze Regi” habitat protection area.

Practical information

• Start of the most popular trips: according to the PTTK description, the route from Sława to the mouth; the river can be reached from many places.
• End of the trip: Mrzeżyno, next to the port and the beach.
• Portages: ten on the section from Sława to the mouth, at hydroelectric plants and low bridges.
• Check current landings, canoe hire and water levels before you go with trip organisers and the municipalities along the river.