Mountain Biking in Slovenia. Rob Houghton
Grahovše circular
Route 6 Lake Zgornje
Route 7 Peč and the three borders
Route 8 Kranjska Gora circular
Route 9 Kobarid and the River Soča
Route 10 Stol epic
Route 11 Kobarid and the River Nadiža
Route 12 Stol and the long descent
Route 13 Planina Razor
Route 14 Most na Soči Široko
Route 15 The war memorial at Trnovo
Route 16 The dark forests of Trnovo
Route 17 The industrial heritage of Črni Vrh
Route 18 Javornik
Route 19 The Wine Region of Kras
Route 20 Komen and its surrounds
Route 21 Postojna classic
Route 22 Lake Cerkno and the caves of Rakov Škocja
Route 23 Lake Cerknica circular
Route 24 Dolenjske Toplice and the Partisans’ forest
Route 25 Dolenjske Toplice and Soteska
Route 26 Velika Planina
Route 27 Menina Planina
Route 28 Jesenovo and Krvavica
Route 29 The churches of Čreta
Route 30 The nature reserve of Pohorje
Route 31 Maribor and its surroundings
Route 32 The Maribor downhill park
Route 33 The Najevnik Linden Tree
Route 34 The three valleys route
Route 35 Peca
Appendices
Appendix A Slovenian language
Appendix B Accommodation
Appendix C Useful information
ROUTE SUMMARY TABLE
INTRODUCTION
Looking back at the Julian Alps from near the summit of Stol (Route 12)
Shhh! Don’t tell anyone. I’m going to tell you a secret. There’s a country slap in the middle of Europe that’s beautiful, modern and well-developed, cheap to visit and that has some of the best mountain biking in the world. Oh, and it’s beautiful – did I mention that? For some reason, however, most people planning their European holidays – especially those planning a biking trip abroad – mysteriously and unforgivably overlook Slovenia.
Those of you used to the beautifully groomed purpose-built trails of the UK, and maybe an annual trip to Spain or France for your yearly hit of rugged heights, may have certain questions to ask of a guide to Slovenian mountain biking. Not least of these might be, ‘Why Slovenia?’ and a supplementary query might be, ‘Where is it?’. But this tiny country, nestled between Austria, Italy, Hungary and Croatia, has an enormous amount to offer the mountain biker.
At about the size of Wales, Slovenia is not big, yet as anyone who has ever visited either of these countries can attest, size doesn’t always matter and small places can sometimes pack a surprising amount in. Within its compact area, for example, Slovenia can boast of three distinct climatic zones: Alpine (good for riding in), Mediterranean (good for relaxing days off and seafood) and Pannonian (good for wine and also for riding in). In amongst this, frankly, absurd abundance of climates can be found a huge variety of landscapes, from limestone karst to deep forest, from high mountains to meandering rivers. Did I mention that Slovenia was beautiful?
On the Soča riverside trail (Route 10)
The Slovene people take all this nature very seriously. They are an outdoor nation and they punch well above their weight internationally in many sports, but especially in mountaineering, skiing and, of course, cycling. Conservation is also important to this country: around 50% of the land is covered in forest and much of the rest has been preserved to a very high degree. As a consequence, there is a great profusion of plant and wild life. To Britons, whose largest wild mammal is the red deer and whose most dangerous predator is the ferret, it may come as a bit of a shock to be riding a trail pocked with the tracks of wolf, lynx, brown bear or chamois.
Flowers of the ancient woodland near Doljenske Toplice (Route 25)
Slovenia also manages that strange balancing act of being very well developed while simultaneously remaining a cheap place to visit. It seceded from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, triggering the Balkan War. However, Slovenia itself only suffered 10 days of fighting and then emerged, miraculously fully formed, with a parliament, currency and national anthem later that year. It has remained a well-developed and relatively wealthy country ever since, joining the EU in 2004 and adopting the Euro.
Despite this, Slovenia is a cheap place for Britons to visit. There are budget airlines flying directly from the UK to the capital Ljubljana and to other airports in the region. A beer still only costs around €2, a pizza about €6 and a perfectly fine hardtail can be rented for something like €10 a day. Accommodation varies from luxury four- and five-star hotels and resorts to more modest but well-equipped campsites. In all cases, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the prices – especially if your experience of European travel is largely limited to the West.
But what of the riding? Well, of course, it’s fabulous. The main regions all offer something different, catering for the competent beginner to the expert. The routes in this book reflect this diversity, although the majority are aimed at the fit and competent intermediate rider. Gorenjska provides possibly some of the most spectacular scenery in the country; it’s all high mountains and lush valleys and you’ll find that each day’s ride begins with a stiff climb that can be up to 7 or 8km in length in places. The climbs tend to be done on gravel forestry tracks and they lead to fabulous views. Then, of course, you can benefit from all that climbing with an extended downhill run. It is classic alpine cross-country riding: nothing too technical but some tough