Forest caves & river beaches

It was well after noon when I set out from Gabrje. This was going to be a slow day, stopping for lunch & shops in Tomlin.

The bike path I was on went away from the river and climbed up into the hills. A single freehand-painted board pointed into the forest. So I left Schopper by the path and followed the forest trail, clearly not maintained. It went steeply down to one of many caves of Slovenia, where an old river has eroded its way through the limestone substrate. The air at the cave was so cool and refreshing. The little cliffs at the river made me chill there for longer.

When I huffed my way back up to my bike, Giro was waiting for me wondering if I'm ok. He said the rock section ahead was very hard, and he and Markus thought that I had trouble and came to help. These two 18 year olds from Potsdam, having finished their abitur, were off on a bike tour. And had brought their civil courage with them. Brav!

We rode together till Kanal where they had a campsite. They had gotten curious about nature camping, maybe they'll try it. After swimming and washing in the river beach at Kanal, I rode out further along the Soča for more views and a chill camp spot. I think this is the prettiest river I've ever seen.Read more