The first day was a late arrival at the same guest-house in Drežnica as last year, who were kind enough to feed us at 9pm. The next day was thunderstorms and rain all morning, so we took the opportunity to walk up the path to Fort Hermann near Bovec (no bikes allowed). The afternoon was sunny, so we did a quick ride to Slap Krampež and then up the hill to do some rocky singletrack as a warm-up.
Second riding day was a longer ride from Bovec up the Soča and Lepena Valleys. Was very hot and sunny, and the icy cold river (makes your feet go numb if you stand in it) was refreshing. Unfortunately the driver's electric window broke on the car, making a really awful grinding and grating noise. Fortunately the free WiFi was put to use to establish that there was a dealer in the next town.
After a trip to the car dealer, who had to order in a part for the next day, the third day, and final in Soča valley was a ride from Drežnica down along the river to Trnovo, and then back along the Soča River. After stopping at a camp site for lunch, it was a long slog up the hairpins/switchbacks back up to the guest-house. Afterwards we managed a quick walk up to Slap Kožjak waterfall before dinner and packing the car.
The fourth day was an 07:50am trip to the car dealer again, for them to install what looked like half of the inside of the door! The old one was well and truly knackered, with broken cogs and a tangle of frayed steel cable. After that we drove via the 50 hairpin bends of the Vršič Pass between Bovec and Kranjska Gora, and on to Bled for some lunch. Then on to Maribor for the last few days. We had a few hours to spare that evening, and managed to find a friendly bike shop opposite the hotel, who gave some advice on going up the Ski Gondola and some routes to take. The hotel was famed for its icecream and gateaux, so we'd be eating one of each every evening!
First day in Maribor started with a ride up the Pohorjske Gondola, followed by another 2000ft of climbing. Then a 17km all downhill descent to Ruše (complete with 1 broken chain on Phil's bike, plus another stop to let brakes cool). At the bottom, a completely random guy abandoned his car on a roundabout and came running up the street, going "Wow! A Cotic Soul!". Apparently he'd heard about the bike I ride from the internet, wanted one, and had spotted mine as he drove past!
Last day in Maribor was a long ride out through the vineyards. A roadbike would have been more useful. Some of the bike paths were very well signposted, but for others we had to rely on a tourist info leaflet map and free OpenStreetMap maps on my GPS, but we got round the loop OK.
The last day was a trip back to Ljubljana in the rain, then a looong drive back to Germany.
Definitely Recommended:
- Turisticna kmetija Kranjc - Guesthouse in Dreznica
- Pohorska Kavarna - Hotel in Maribor (with excellent cakes + ice-cream!)
More Photos on Picasa:
- http://picasaweb.google.com/andysrockets/MTBSlovenia2010
