Mountain Biking in Slovenia. Rob Houghton

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is Camping Bled, a campsite with very good facilities and a party atmosphere in season.

      Further up the Sava valley you’ll find the bigger, more secluded Lake Bohinj. If you don’t mind being a little bit out of the way, there’s a budget hotel and hostel on the shores of the lake called Hostel Pod Voglem, which has a friendly service and bike wash facilities.

      Finally, you may want to base yourself in Kranjska Gora right up in the north-west corner where Slovenia meets Italy and Austria. There are plenty of hotel options in the town, including the excellent Hotel Lek. For those on a tighter budget, however, Hostel Barovc is just a short walk out of town and has most things you’d need.

      Services

      There is a tourist information centre in all of the bigger towns in the area, including Bled, Bohinj, Jesenice, Kranj and Kranjska Gora. They provide excellent information and are a good source for maps as well as very good publications on other tourist attractions.

      Most towns in the region will have somewhere to hire bikes, but the best place is, without a doubt, 3glav (pronounced tree-glau) Adventures (www.3glav-adventures.com). Based in Bled, they have the best hire bikes that I’ve come across in the region and they are also a rich source of information about biking and other activities in the area.

      Alternatively, you could try Bike Park Kranjska Gora (www.bike-park.si), the base of operations for the downhill courses in the town. They are also able to help with accommodation.

      Emergencies

      There are good health centres and clinics as well as pharmacies in all of the following towns: Bled, Bohinj, Jesenice, Kranj, Kranjska Gora and Radovljica. Further information can be found at www.slovenian-alps.com/en/info/health-care.

ROUTE 1

      The high alpine at Uskovnica

Start/Finish	Mercator supermarket, Bohinjska Bistrica
Distance	33.75km (21 miles)
On road	8.75km (5½ miles)
Off road	25km (15½ miles)
Percentage off road	75%
Ascent	1380m (4530ft)
Grade	Red
Time	3–4hr
Map	Alpski Svet – Zahodni Del
Refreshments	Planina koča na Uskovnici (in season) or Bohinjska Bistrica
Parking	At the supermarket

      

      Overview

      This route is one of the most spectacular in the whole book. It begins easily enough by taking the new cycle path out of Bohinjska Bistrica through the attractive Sava valley towards Ribčev Laz and Lake Bohinj. There is, however, a tough 8.5km climb following that warm-up. This climb brings you up into the high alpine pastures, where you’re treated to spectacular vistas of the surrounding mountains and the picturesque cowherd villages of Uskovnica and Zajamniki, and then a singletrack descent back to the road at Podjelje. Do not forget your camera.

      Directions

      1 Leave the supermarket car park and turn onto the main road through town. Just after the bridge, look out for the sign saying Kolarški Pot (just before the excellent Kamp Danica) and turn . After crossing another, wooden bridge, turn and follow the blue cycle signs towards Srednja Vas, roughly following the Ribnica upstream.

      2 After about 9km you’ll reach a main road. Go , crossing the main road onto the smaller one opposite, and at the next T-junction turn through Studor, again following the blue signs. At the next T-junction, turn and then again at the Ribnica sign. This brings you onto the bottom of the climb. Follow first the road and then the track all the way to the tiny chapel and water trough about 8.5km later at the mountain hut at Uskovnica. Rest and refill your water bottle here before heading towards Zajamniki.

      Thankful to crest the rise after the 8.5km climb

      3 Take the trail leading off to the until you come to a fork and then take the downhill. At the next fork, take the . When you arrive at the next T-junction turn , following the sign for Zajamniki. After about 3km, turn at the sign for Prva Pomoč and this will bring you into the village of Zajamniki. Make a little time here to take in the spectacular views and the quaint village.

      On the descent from Zajamniki

      4 At the end of the village, turn and then take the fork. After around 500 metres, at the painted rock, turn and then enjoy the 4km or so of singletrack descent. At the next T-junction, turn and follow this to the main road at the bottom of the descent. At the road, next to the church of Sv Marjeta, turn and then immediately . At the next T-junction at Bitnje, turn and follow the road back to the car park at Bohinjska Bistrica.

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