There it is. We can finally see it, the sea. We drive straight towards it, directly into the sun, which is already bending low over the dark, gently undulating horizon. It is already casting a glittering orange carpet over the Adriatic and giving the surrounding hilly landscape this magical contrast between light and dark. We stop briefly on a small hilltop and savour the moment in silence. It smells of the sea. "There are still a few metres to go," says Peter. That's why we should hurry. In fact, there is already a faint full moon in the sky as we reach our final destination, the coastal town of Piran.
It's now been six days since we started in Kranjska Gora. Peter has already published a tour guide for the Slovenian Alps, so he already knows some great trails. But he was still looking for a really good traverse across the Julian Alps to the Adriatic, he had mentioned back home in Munich and I was practically on board straight away. Scouting trails in an area that is still considered a blank spot on the biking map - an offer you can't refuse.
Slovenia: In the heart of the Julian Alps
The first big surprise for me: Kranjska Gora is only a four-hour drive from Munich. The second big surprise: the hotelier of our first accommodation. Matjaž is very enthusiastic about our plans and accompanies us up to the Vršic Pass the next morning. The ascent leads us along a gravel road that has been heavily washed out by storms, right into the heart of the Julian Alps. Colourful autumn leaves are already fluttering like confetti around the steep limestone cliffs. The gigantic Prisank mountain window opens up. It seems even larger than its documented dimensions of 80 metres high and 40 metres wide. It is said that the "face of the giant girl" can also be clearly recognised in the west face of the Prisank. It takes me a little longer, but my aha experience is all the greater. Nevertheless, I find the Vrsic Pass road even more exciting than the view of Prisank. Most of the mountain road is still paved. A well-preserved relic from the First World War, built by prisoners of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. At the top of the pass, we enjoy a hearty soup and tea, as the descent takes a lot of energy. A rough path through dense mixed forest and lots of turn-offs. Cairns and markings try to lure you onto their trail, but Peter aims safely through the network of paths.
We rumble back into the light almost directly at the Soca spring. The turquoise-coloured bubbling water is almost dazzling in the sun before it continues to wash through its canyons. Every now and then, the Soca has carved a few "resting pools" into the rock. Peter tears his clothes off at the first swimming pool. We follow the Soca a little way out of the valley towards Italy and then turn off towards Stol. The second long ascent of the day. Not really steep, but the gravel road winds endlessly upwards. We only reach the striking mountain ridge in the late afternoon.
The full article about the six-day mountain bike crossing in Slovenia can be found below as a PDF download with these highlights:
- Vrsic Pass (1611 m)
- Soca Valley
- Matajur (1641 m)
- Paradana forest area
- Nanos Plateau (1262 m)
- Predjama cave castle
- Karst plateau between Postojna and Kozina
The GPS data for the described crossing of Slovenia can be found at www.mtb-slowenien.de
- More Trans-Slovenia routes at bike-gps.com
- Trans-Slovenia easy, 283.78 km and 5355 metres in altitude: The route leads through the magical Soca Valley->
- Trans-Slovenia difficult, 385.86 km and 10,309 metres in altitude: The route leads over the Matajur and along an almost endless, challenging trail to Cividale in Friuli ->
- Trans-Slovenia variant, 352.29 kilometres and 9053 vertical metres: New variant of the normal route through the beautiful Brda wine region ->
- Trans-Slovenia normal route, 337.51 kilometres and 9179 metres in altitude ->
You can now find the GPS data for all the tours presented in BIKE in the professional tour portal of
www.bike-gps.com
. The data was created with pinpoint accuracy in high-resolution satellite maps and will also be available as RichTracks in future. For you, this means: no more procedures! For us, it means a considerable amount of extra work. That's why this service will have a price in future, but at 3 cents per kilometre, it's absolutely affordable.
In return, you will now receive for every tour
1. very precise and well-maintained GPS data
2. all waypoints of a tour
3. road book with arrow symbols and all tour data
4. very precise elevation profile with ground information
All of this is conveniently stored in a single file.
You can also order the corresponding digital maps (1.8 cents per square kilometre). You will receive these directly in the RichTrack file (double-click on the file to open the map and RichTrack simultaneously in the RichTrack software).
IMPORTANT: To open the data, please download our Free RichTrack Factory softwarefree of charge from
www.bike-gps.com
can be downloaded. The software allows you to view and print the roadbook and elevation profile and download the GPS tracks and waypoints to all common GPS devices (Garmin, VDO, MyNav, Xplova).
We wish you lots of fun with the new touring system from BIKE and
www.bike-gps.com
