Jamnik – A Hidden Beauty in the Hills above Kranj

Photo: Admiring the beautiful St. Primus & Felician church in Jamnik

It was a beautiful September day – you know one of those days when on the one hand you can already feel autumn just around the corner, and on the other hand summer is just not yet ready to give up its reign. The skies were crystal clear, there was not much on the work itinerary – what else was I supposed to do than rev up my bike and take it out for a spin. I've decided to hit the road in the direction of the Gorenjska Region, to the north-west of Slovenia, attacking the roads of a few not well-known (at least not to me) towns and villages of this part of Slovenia. The first stop on the agenda was the old medieval town of Škofja Loka.

Škofja Loka

Photo: Škofja Loka Castle

Leaving Ljubljana city centre and heading to the north, passing the town of Medvode, it took me just about twenty minutes to reach Škofja Loka. The beautiful old medieval town is located between the Škofja Loka Hills and the Polhov Gradec Hills, with two rivers (Sora and Selca) having paved the way for the streets and roads of the town. It has a population of just little over 12,000, yet it has plenty to offer to even the most-demanding a visitor, culture- and nature-wise. The town's architecture and history were most affected by the Bishops of Freising who lived here in the 10^th century, while the town's appearance was extensively affected by the Turkish attacks in the 15^th century and by peasants revolting in the 16^th century. 

Photo: The remains in the park along the castle

Even though the town's centre is inviting, pleasant and clean, graced by some old architectural marvels, I opted to ride atop the town, to the old Škofja Loka Castle which was renovated a couple of years back. First, I needed a couple of minutes to cool off, so I sat down in the shade and studied the architecture of the castle, as well as the neatness of the park near-by. I walked through the park, observed the sights over the town and the surrounding hills and even “discovered” a natural amphitheatre – well, made of stone – where I guess they hold old medieval games with horses and knights and maybe some cultural events, such as concerts. Off to the town of Železniki ... 

 Železniki

Photo: Who won in the end?

Photo: Železniki

Železniki is a town literally just around the corner from Škofja Loka, so I rode the bike for just fifteen minutes before stopping in the centre of the town. I actually didn’t even plan to stop there, but riding through the town I saw something that immediately caught my eye. The town is known for its smelting and production of iron, marked also by a huge monument in the town. What made me stop in Železniki was a big chessboard with chess pieces. Of course – wouldn’t you stop? Well, I played a quick chess match with a worthy opponent, as you can see from the photo, but I am not too eager to share who actually won the match. Soon, I left Železniki to continue on my way to Davča ...

Davča & Dražgoše

Photo: Road to Davča

I had a plan to visit Davča, a village with a population of only 250, known for being the most spread out village in Slovenia, at an altitude of almost 1000 metres. But as the weather quickly shifted and it looked like there was going to be a heavy storm, I decided to turn my bike around on my way to Davča. But not before reaching the section of the road which carves its way between the mountain rocks, as you can see in the photo. As mentioned, I didn’t ride all the way up to the village, but instead turned my bike in the direction of another village – Dražgoše, known as the place where one of the most known WWII battles on Slovenian soil took place. 

Photo: Parked in front of the WWII monument in Dražgoše

The village of Dražgoše is located at an altitude of 900 metres with lots of long and twisty turns towards the big monument in honour of those who fell during WWII. I went to check out the stone monument first before having some coffee in the near-by tavern, where the view over Lubnik and the Blegoš peak was just perfect. Soon, even the sun burst through the clouds with its rays. The game of light and shade started to unfold right before my eyes which made this a perfect opportunity to take some beautiful photos of the majestic scenery. After having a chat about the birds with a local, I left Dražgoše for Kropa.

Jamnik

Photo: Road to the Church in Jamnik

Photo: A New Friend ...

Even though I was planning to visit the town of Kropa in the valley just underneath the Škofja Loka Hills, I was so smitten by the beautiful St. Primus and Felician Church in the hamlet of Jamnik that I needed to stop there. First, I passed the church, but later on returned back on the road as I really wanted to see the view of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps gracing the background of the church. It was again very hot, and walking in full gear from the road to the church was kind of a pain in the ass, but it was well worth it. The grass was as green as it gets, the mountain peaks in the distance were truly majestic due to the rays of sunshine and I met a new friend, as you can see in the photo. I sat down on the bench by the church and was left speechless by the beautiful vistas to all sides – the Alps to the north, the town of Kranj and the hills and forests to the other side. 

Photo: Taking in the Views in Jamnik

It was almost 6 o’clock and I still wanted to have some lunch, so I took the road through the forests down to Kropa, where I could not really find a good place to eat so I simply continued my way towards Ljubljana and stopped at a pizza place in Kranj before heading back home. 

Follow my blog to find out what my next bike destination will be ...

Photo: Map of the Route

Breathtaking Source of the Krupa River

Photo: Parking my ride along the beautiful Krupa River

Photo: Majestic Castle Otočec

As I promised in one of my previous blogs, I returned to Dolenjska. It was another wonderful August Saturday, as the crystal clear blue skies just called for me to take my bike out for a spin. I left Ljubljana after breakfast and took the highway to Novo mesto and from there rode to Otočec Castle, just ten minutes away from the city centre of Novo mesto. A magnificent castle you must not miss if you are in this part of Slovenia.

Otočec Castle

It took me about forty minutes to reach Otočec Castle, currently home to a castle hotel, located on a small island in the middle of the Krka River, making it the only water castle in Slovenia. Actually, the castle’s name itself in Slovene denotes a small island. The small island and the castle along with it are connected to both Krka River banks with two wooden bridges. The area also boasts a golf course and even a small adventure park. Well, the main reason people come to visit Otočec, besides the castle, is the breathtaking nature and I am not just talking about the Krka River, but maybe even more so the forest, park, and numerous pathways inviting guests to research the area for themselves.

Photo: On the bridge in front of Otočec Castle

Photo: Pure relaxation

Since it was already very hot, I took off my gear, walked around a bit and sat down by the river for about twenty minutes, just watching the ducks quarrel among each other on the crystal clear river. The thing I like about this place is that everyone can find a peaceful place for themselves, a place not yet busy with tourists. I enjoyed my very own private quiet place, took some “childish”, well, let’s call them funny photos before leaving for Kostanjevica na Krki. 

Kostanjevica na Krki

It took me about twenty minutes to Kostanjevica na Krki, the oldest and the smallest town in the Dolenjska region and a town dubbed as the Venice of Dolenjska. The charming, quaint little town is a perfect stop on the way from Novo mesto to the east/southeast of Slovenia and is known for its vast and rich cultural and natural heritage, while its vicinity boasts numerous sites for visitors to explore (Krakovski gozd, Karst cave near Kostanjevica, archeological sites, etc.). I had a cup of coffee in the town by the river and planned my next stop – source of Krupa River, near Semič in Bela Krajina. 

Photo: Venice of Slovenia – Kostanjevica na Krki

Krupa – undiscovered green emerald river

Photo: Lost in nature ...

The winding road with lots of twists and turns led me to the southeast of Slovenia, to the Bela Krajina region. The landscape there is truly beautiful; loads of fields extending as far as the eye can see, forests, hills, and valleys make this region one of the most varied in Slovenia. The untouched nature, where villages and towns are less frequent than fields and meadows, immediately caught my attention and I started to ride slower to be able to soak up the spectacular views. 

Photo: Majestic source of Krupa River near Semič

After about forty-five minutes, I reached a small village close to the town of Semič and left the main road on a forest gravel path to the source of Krupa. I couldn’t believe my eyes, as I have never before seen such green-rich colour of a river. Truly, if you are ever close to the town of Semič, do not hesitate to make a small turn from your planned way to visit this natural beauty. I was alone by the river and took my time to relax, unwind, and cool off without any other sound then the water flowing peacefully close by. After thirty minutes of peaceful nature, it was time for me to start my engine and hurry to my next stop – the village of Otok.

Photo: To jump or not to jump – that's the real question.

DC-3 Dakota near the village of Otok

My next stop was an old aircraft located among the fields and meadows along the road between the towns of Metlika and Črnomelj. Apart from the old aircraft, there’s not much to see there, so I stopped there only to take a couple of snaps with my bike and the aircraft. The old airplane by the ex Yugoslav national army is easily accessible as you make a turn from the main road and after a minute reach the old monument place. The aircraft was exhibited as a memorial site to all emergency landing zones of Partisans in WWII. From here, the allies took the injured soldiers and their families with planes to hospitals in Italy and used this area also to bring the locals medical equipment, food, clothing, ammunition, etc. in their fight against the Germans. After a few snaps, I headed back north in the direction of Novo mesto to reach my last destination on the trip – the town of Žužemberk. 

Photo: Who's going to win?

Žužemberk

Photo: Posing in front of Žužemberk Castle

Riding on a perfect road with loads of turns and small hills to the town of Žužemberk took about forty-five minutes, maybe even a bit longer since I slowed down while admiring the ride along the Krka River. The last few kilometres before reaching Žužemberk are every biker’s dream with a couple of sweet turns to the top, before reaching the town’s centre with the castle atop the hill. The town is quite small and there is lots to see, of course, besides the castle and the pathway descending to the Krka River underneath it – an area where several sports activities are organised each year, especially the beach volleyball tournament. I went to the river bank, took a few photos of the bike with the castle in the background, rode to the castle, treated myself to a scoop of ice cream and rested for a while, whilst enjoying the castle’s magnificent architecture, before heading back to Ljubljana. The ride to Ljubljana took just over thirty minutes as I took the local roads across the hills to Slovenia’s capital.

Photo: A well-deserved rest ...

Where will I go on my next trip? Any ideas? Be sure to follow my blog and find out – soon!

Photo: Map of the route