The Walks Programme


The walks described here are all from the easier programme. The 'hard' walkers usually do another two to three miles and their total ascent is always more. Martin & Mary, our husband & wife leaders who hailed from Cumbria had pioneered the routes for HF and alternated in leading the harder walk.


Sunday : The Martuljek Waterfalls & Gorge - 8 miles and 1000 feet of ascent.

Having strolled down from the hotel, Mary pointed out the establishments of interest in Kranjska Gora, in particular the supermarket, to give us the chance to forage for our lunches. (In the UK HF provide almost excessively generous packed lunches). Then we set about yomping along 3 kms. of bicycle track to reach the area of the gorge. In the gorgePassing low waterfalls we found that our route was on a ledge along the tall cliff just above the river bed. After crossing on a wooden bridge we ascended a series of stairs before reaching the main view point for the impressive but distant waterfall.

Koca

After more climbing we emerged into a wooded valley surrounded by mountains and found our lunch halt at the Lipovceva koca, a most truly rural cafe.

 

 

CauldronsCauldrons of soup bubbled over wood fires, but we chose bread and cheese and an order for one fed us both, the cheese being mild and excellent. At that point the rain commenced. Our route continued along forestry logging tracks and our dour trudging was only relieved by a short encounter with a Fire Salamander, Salamander a black and orange lizard about eight inches long. The wonderful earlier views of the mountains were pretty much absent while we were in the forest, however.

We eventually reached Lake Jasna, a tourist beauty spot which has this much photographed statue of an Alpine Ibex. Fom there a short walk of only a kilometre or so along the Pisnica river, the wide bed of which indicated what the winter volumes of water might be, returned us to the hotel.

Ibex statue at Lake Jasna      Hotel from river

Monday : A walk in Italy - 8 miles and 500 feet of ascent.

A short coach ride (6 kms.) took us to the Italian border and a fields walk took us to lake Fuisne Inferior. A fortunately situated koca provided shelter from the rain which had started a little earlier.

Italian border posts     Lake Fusine
The rain continued unabated, so donning our wet weather gear we set out on a figure of eight route to encircle the lake and its sister, Lake Fusine Superior. Mostly we were in woods with slippery tree roots under our boots and our fun was not enhanced by a heavy hail storm. Lunch was taken in another lakeside koca and then with the rain having ceased, we returned via a different route to our starting point in the village of Ratece. There we inspected a variety of typical Slovenian village houses and the church. We were warned to be early for the public service bus which was to return us to Kranjska Gora, as the method the Slovenian buses use to be on time along their route, is to depart from their starting point at least five minutes early!

Hotel in Ratece     Ratece church interior

 

Tuesday : Lake Bohinj - 8 miles and then a 1000 feet of ascent

An hour long coach drive took us there via Bled. The intrinsic beauty of the Lake Bled continues, but the touristy environs which include casinos have taken over half the shoreline, especially at the eastern end and thus make the lake seem a somewhat suburban feature, a change which has taken place since the death of Tito, whose summer mansion is close to the shore. If the motorway alterations now under construction take a spur to Bled, its fate surely will be sealed. However that is merely the impression received by one who passed through in a coach. But Bohinj was found to be a different proposition as it is largely unspoilt as yet and with development forbidden. There is no motorway nor town near, with only a small village close to the shore. The lake is large, approximately rectangular in shape and motor boating is not permitted. There is a a nil-facilities bathing shore on the narrow eastern bank and hang gliders were landing adjacent to it, having been carried via a nearby cliff lift to a suitably high mountain top for take off. We reached the opposite corner to this, the distant end in the photo below, a matter of three kilometres, via a tree rooted narrow lakeside path sheltered by the trees from the warm sun. A two kilometre climb took us to the inevitable koca, a large one this time as it is reachable by road. There we had for lunch a Slovenian sandwich. You will agree that from the photographic evidence provided below, the Slovenians (together with the Austrians) are somewhat deficient in the art of sandwich making. Following that, a flight of 550 tourists' steps brought us puffing to a viewpoint for the truly spectacular Savica waterfall which issues from an orifice half way up the cliff face.

Lake Bohinj

A Slovenian sandwich

Savica waterfall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Wednesday : Free day - a visit to Ljubljana


Thursday : Vrsic Pass, Trenta valley & Soca source - six miles and 1200 feet of ascent. See the route as a Google Earth Map

Coach going up the passl The Vrsic Pass starts close to the hotel and consists of 52 almost identical hairpin bends up & down. So identical that each is numbered so that the traveller may know where he is. A rite of passage for Slovenian teenagers is to negotiate this route by bicycle. Fortunately our coach driver seemed to be highly skilled and we had few qualms even though the inside rockface or wall was often only inches away, this being much preferable however to being only inches away from the precipices which were encountered intermittently on the opposite side.

Russian ChapelAn early brief respite from this interesting ride occurred when our journey was paused for us to inspect the Russian Chapel, a monument dedicated to 400 prisoners of war who had died in an avalanche whilst constructing the road. A relatively flat part was reached which was the summit and here the harder walkers were dropped off as they wished to test their knees by walking down. The coach descended into the Trenta valley at an exciting faster rate but eventually we reached safely the inevitable koca and duly calmed and refreshed we ascended to find the source of the Soca river. Unexpectedly we had to cling to a fixed wire to traverse a cliff and dependent on this, slowly descended into the bottom of the forty foot gorge before reaching the dark little cave in which the water bubbles up. Fixed wires are rarely encountered on "medium" HF walks, but all bar one of our mainly pensioners party opted to try it, and it wasn't all that difficult although the ledge on which we had to place our feet was only the the width of the boot sole at one point. Fixed Wire
Following our return by the same route we walked to the memorial to Kugy who was a Victorian pioneering mountaineer, shown below peering hopefully towards Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia, but which we could not see due to low cloud.

Kugy Memorial

 

 

We then walked through the pine wooded valley to the Mlinarica Gorge to admire sheer cliffs and foaming streams. Next, not too far away, we found the Alpine Botanical Gardens, a treat for those knowledgable in such flora as was Mary our leader, but a disappointment for the average hiker as not much bloom was in evidence. After crossing a couple of very bouncy suspension footbridges, the walk ended at the Triglav National Park visitor centre. After suitable refreshment the coach took us back up and over the vertiginous Vrsic pass.

 

 

Friday : Galerse panorama - eight miles and 1000 feet of ascent

Our final walk started from the hotel through Kranjska Gora to the northern side of the valley. After following the river a sharp ascent brought us to an almost level field but the expected views of the mountains beyond the hotel were not available due to low cloud. A steep road climb brought us to a prosperous looking farm with decorated farmhouse, new Lamborghini tractor, and a pleasant greeting from the farmer. More steep ups and downs took us to open fields and at last we had our views as the sun had lifted most of the mist. Eventually we found ourselves at a rather superior koca, or more rather "guesthouse" as it is called Gostilna Srnjak, situated above Kranjska Gora, where we all had a most excellent plateful of blueberry pie & cream. The incredibly hospitable proprietor then treated us all to a small glass of his blueberry schnapps.

CloudFarm

TractorField

PieSchnapps

Kranjska Gora

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Text & Pictures© 2008 D.C.Adams

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