Vogel – Reigning Triglav National Park

The warm and inviting September sun has immediately won me over. Well, it does not take much to make me jump on the bike and be one with the road, while admiring the nature of my country. Since it is already very cold in the morning, I waited until 10:00 a.m. before heading on the road. As I heard there were major traffic jams towards the southwest of Slovenia, towards the seaside, I decided to ride towards the mountains, to Gorenjska. The temperature rose just slightly over 13 degrees, as I started  my trip ... Off to my first stop – Lake Završnica.

Photo: Yamaha FZ8

Lake Završnica

I headed towards the north of Ljubljana, passed Šentvid, and rode past the town of Medvode, on the old regional road past Kranj on my way towards Bled. Coming to Radovljica, I turned right towards the well-known venue of catholic pilgrims, the town of Brezje. I passed the town before coming to Lake Završnica. It took me just shy of 45 minutes to reach it from Ljubljana. 

Photo: Lake Završnica

The artificial lake is situated underneath the Julian Alps and offers spectacular views of the surrounding forests and mountain peaks. The valley and the lake were formed by the stream Završnica, which comes down from the mountain peaks of Begunjščica and Stol. The road to the lake offers views across meadows and pastures to the left and right of the road. This is a popular venue of hikers and mountain bikers, as well as all adrenaline junkies who can find something for themselves in the adrenaline park. I am not sure whether the lake is suitable for bathing in the summer, yet it is a pretty cool spot to relax, unwind, have a picnic or simply enjoy the best nature has to offer. I sat by the lake for a couple of minutes before heading to my next stop – Castle Kamen.

Photo: Rest area by Lake Završnica

Castle Kamen

Photo: View towards Koroška at Castle Kamen

I’ve heard of Castle Kamen for the first time only a couple of weeks ago after a friend mentioned it to me. I spent just 10 minutes riding from Završnica to the entrance of Draga Valley, where the old medieval castle, or better said its ruins, is located. I walked around the ruins, climbed to the top of the preserved castle building and mainly enjoyed the views to the mountains towards Koroška to the north and towards the Julian Alps to the south. The nature there is truly magnificent with forests all around as far as you can see. As I was walking, I read a bit about the history of the castle and what actually happened to it, took some great photos and eventually left for the town of Bled.

Photo: Ruins of Castle Kamen

Vogel

I wanted to go to Bled to sit by the lake and enjoy a beautiful and warm sunny day, but just before entering the town I saw a big billboard sign inviting tourists to come and visit Vogel. The idea quickly crept into my thoughts and I didn’t even stop in Bled, but simply rode past the town and headed towards the town of Bohinj. It took me about 25 minutes to reach the lower cable car station underneath Vogel. I paid the ticket for the cable car ride to the top of Vogel at an altitude of 1,922 metres. Needless to say, I got quite a lot of odd looks and even stares as I was still in my full gear ...

Photo: Julian Alps from the top of Vogel

Photo: View over Lake Bohinj from Vogel

Vogel is a popular ski resort and a well-known destination for all hikers since the vistas on the top have visitors gasping for air at the sight of the Julian Alps and especially the Triglav peak – the national symbol of Slovenia. 

This was actually my second time on Vogel and if I hadn’t been in my full riding gear, I would probably go for a short hike or something. I sat down and admired the Julian Alps right in front of me, almost at the touch of my hand. The plateau was really lively and bustling with lots of people, mostly foreigners, to my surprise mainly tourists from the US. I had lunch at the tavern before heading to the cable car to descend back to the valley. It was almost 4:00 p.m. and the wind started to send shivers to my bones. 

Photo: Friendship for a lifetime :)

Lake Bohinj

Photo: Lake Bohinj

The cable car ride from the top of Vogel back to the valley to Lake Bohinj takes only about 5 minutes. After crowding with the Americans, I started my bike and found a spot for myself by the lake where I dipped my toes into the water which still had about 20 degrees Celsius, while admiring the mountains above the lake. The spot was really peaceful and I could enjoy the tranquillity of the nature around me. Lake Bohinj is twice as big as Lake Bled, but due to the distance from the motorway it is less known to tourists than Lake Bled. Over the last couple of years, Bohinj became a popular spot for all who enjoy camping, hiking, and the intact nature.

It was getting dark and I needed to get back to Ljubljana ... a perfect end to a perfect bike trip and one I will surely repeat soon. Hopefully, the weather will not spoil my plans for the coming weeks and I will manage to have a couple more trips under my belt before the freezing cold starts kicking in.

Photo: Before heading back to Ljubljana

Photo: Map of the Route