Bled to Kransjka Gora

Will we? Won’t we?
Over breakfast we are tossing up options. Most of them involve transport in the van. It is persisting down outside.

It’s not a long day so it can’t be as miserable as the experience our friend Ryan is having over in Yorkshire. Hang it. Let’s go. This is mother natures invitation to send it down in buckets.

We start off around Lake Bled. Extraordinarily green water, thick forest from mountain top to waters edge, castles from a postcard. Gorgeous. A long climb out of the lake basin into lightly trafficked valley roads of ancient glaciers we track fast running streams up until a very steep climb into the next valley of the Sava River.

Expecting to see characters of the forest at any moment. Cherubs wandering unsupervised, a bandana and flannel clad, double bladed axe toting bushman and a friendly old dear offering baked goods. The impression is compelling that we are riding through a fairytale.

We also pass through Slovenia’s only National Park - Trigovski NP. Surprising there are so few for a green credentialed country. We also see evidence of recent violent history. A ruined farm building stands as memorial to 24 men, women & children who perished when German occupiers burned the village in reprisal for partisan attacks on the German forces.

Lunch in Mojstrana at a tiny restaurant with an amazing menu. Translation from the menu to the plate was a bit interesting.

Last part of the ride was all in cycle ways - so very cruzey. We had rain all day and clothes washing was necessary. We found the world’s best laundromat, that serves beer, wine coffee and has (woo hoo) cycling on TV, hosted by the lovely Alexander.

Kransjka-Gora is a ski town and the slopes run straight back in to the town. Less than 2k to the north the ridge line is the border with Österreich. This range is steep, high, rounded and forested. Perhaps even gentle. The town is confined on the south by a steep, craggy, limestone faceted range that includes Slovenia’s second highest peak - Škrlatica at 2,740m (we’re bike rides - this stuff matters). They appear to have been created by far more cataclysmic processes.

Škrlatica: https://maps.app.goo.gl/eYHLDgfuid2XijHL8?g_st=…Read more