Slovenia

For our last activity we'd planned a day at Lake Cerknica in Notranjski Regional Park. We weren't sure what to expect because the lake is an intermittent one, sitting in a karst limestone valley and appearing and disappearing with the varying rainfall of the seasons.

It was windy and felt cold at the start of the day but after a short drive we were happy to see a substantial amount of water in the lake as we pulled in to the free car park. After doing a quick recce and picking up a map from the cafè, Paul and Cath hired mountain bikes, we got the tandem down and we all peddled our way towards the lake. We had planned to cycle round it but after slipping and sliding along a muddy track riddled with puddles and having it come to an abrupt end in the lake, twice, we changed course and took the car track along one side of it. The mountain bikes had coped better than the tandem, whose wheels had become clogged with mud and grit. Will initially blamed our inertia on Vicky, but a 5 minute clean and a quick adjustment worked wonders and we were able to double the speed for half the effort of before.

The car track was a good route and after a while we came accross another lake on our left, where light brown reed beds stretched for miles. The mixed green forests covering the hillsides in all directions and the rich blue sky patterned with fluffy white clouds made for a stunning backdrop. It was in to these forests that we climbed after a while, reaching the hamlet of Otok before looping round and returning to enjoy a cuppa at the busy cafè overlooking the grass meadow, lake and hills.

Lunch in the van rested and reinvigorated us ready for Will, Cath and Paul to canoe while Vicky kept Poppy company. The day had warmed up a bit by this point and an enjoyable few hours were spent paddling. Viewed from the water, the beautiful scenery seemed enhanced, but there was only one other person out making use of it. Spring isn't as far on here as in Italy and Cath spotted some Snowdrops in flower under the surface of the clear lake, together with some Water Buttercups.

Returning to our site at Razdrto, Will made up a special three course feast for the final night of our Slovenian adventure with Cath and Paul. There are always nerves preceding a get-together like this, we hadn't spent time with friends from home for 7 months and they were going to be with us for five nights. Mixed in with the excitement of seeing them were doubts that buzzed around our heads. Will they like the same things as us? How will we all fit in the van? Will we be able to agree on where to go and what to see? We were delighted that as time progressed we found more and more common ground with Cath and Paul and they adapted brilliantly to van life - especially the 'only one person standing' rule! Our doubts had quickly fallen away and we'd ended up having the most amazing time!Read more