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The precinct
The Dinaric Karst mountain range stretches over 600 kilometres along the east coast of the Adriatic. The 602 Croatian islands in front of it were once an offshore mountain range until the Adriatic Sea rose and since then only the peaks have risen out of the water. The towns directly on the Croatian coast are very touristy, but the further you climb up the mountains, the more isolated you will find yourself. The paths marked on the map are also not maintained in some mountain regions and are partly overgrown and dilapidated. You should therefore not set off without a GPS track. Traces of the Balkan war in the 1990s are still visible, especially in the mountain villages. There are even warnings about landmines on short sections (15 km). Do not leave the path here.
The route
This version of the Adriatic-Crest route, shortened to the Croatian section, is 340 kilometres long and leads from Smrika, a coastal town 20 kilometres south of Rijeka, to Trogir, just before Split. We travelled to Split by plane and took a shuttle taxi to the starting point. This saved us having to organise a transfer at the end of the tour.
We gave ourselves a total of nine days to complete the route and made good time. This meant we didn't have to rush and reached our stage destinations in a relaxed manner. However, the bad weather, packing up our gear every day and pushing our bikes along the dilapidated sections of the route cost us more time and energy than expected.
You can download the entire article "Bikepacking Croatia" from BIKE 9a Trail/2021 including recommendations for light luggage as a PDF in the download area below.
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Best time to travel
The summer months of June to August are definitely too hot for biking. The fact that May was so rainy and cold here is rather unusual. We often hear that. But what you always have to expect in spring and autumn is strong winds. The most unpleasant is the Bura, a downslope wind from the mountains with cold, hurricane-like gusts. The so-called Jugo is more constant, but with persistently bad weather. It also meant that we rarely had a clear view of the Adriatic. The very best time for this tour is September. This is also when the many wild fig trees are full of fruit.
Equipment
We were glad of our fullys and our tubeless tyres on the often bumpy paths. The frame bags were a bit of a nuisance on the carrying sections. Otherwise, you're glad for every gram you don't have to carry on your back. When packing, however, make sure that there is enough storage space for provisions. Be sure to stock up on water, especially on the first three stages. We rarely found the wells marked on the maps or they had dried up. Rainwater seeps away quickly in the karst rock.
GPS track
The original route of the Adriatic-Crest-Route starts in Slovenia and leads across Istria and the two islands of Cres and Krk, before climbing up the Croatian coastal mountains and following them to Trogir (612 km/10890 m elevation gain). The GPS data is available free of charge at www.bikepacking.com
This story is part of BIKE 9a/2021 "Trail". Order the Special issue of BIKE free shipping to your home or read the digital edition in the BIKE App for iOS or Android.
