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Photo: Lake Jasna |
It's been a
while since I last posted an article. It seems I saved the best for last, at
least with regard to my bike trips in 2018. It was the beginning of October
when I went on a trip to the
Soča Valley; at that time I didn't know it was
actually going to be the last this year. I was lucky that the warm weather
lasted so long into the autumn that I was able to enjoy a couple of rides
across my beautiful country.
I waited
for the temperatures to rise a bit, before pulling my bike out of the garage.
As I only rarely visit the beautiful Soča Valley, I decided it was high time to
treat my bike to the long undulations of the Vršič Pass down to the valley of
Soča River.
Lake Jasna
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Photo: View of the Vršič Mountain Pass from Lake Jasna |
It took me
about an hour to reach Lake Jasna, located just outside of the town of Kranjska Gora, known as the town that hosts World Cup alpine skiing races for men and a
popular ski resort of Slovenians and skiers from the neighbouring countries. Kranjska
Gora and Lake Jasna are located in the centre of Triglav National Park,
boasting some of the most spectacular nature, with forests as far as the eye
could see, mighty peaks, and water sources with the most beautiful shades of
blue and green.
Lake Jasna
are actually two artificial lakes connected one to the other and located underneath
the Vršič Pass which paves the way toward the majestic Soča Valley. In the
summer months, this is a popular place for all who want to cool off and enjoy
the crystal clear water of the lake and for all fans of hiking as this area
provides lots of hiking trails towards the top of the surrounding mountain
peaks. It is also a popular place to take magnificent photos of the surrounding
Julian Alps and the glistering light on the surface of the lake in which one
can easily see the reflection of the mountains rising above the lake. The
amazing colours of the lake made me sit by the lake and just relax and enjoy
the sights before heading to the top of the Vršič pass.
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Photo: Wooden sculpture by Lake Jasna |
Vršič Pass
The Vršič mountain pass is just a few kilometres away from Lake Jasna, yet the road
uphill takes well over 20 minutes to reach the top. Why? Well, if you ride to
the top of the mountain pass from the Kranjska Gora direction there are 24
turns to the top and then if you continue riding toward the beautiful Soča
Valley you are blessed with 26 turns until your reach the valley of the emerald
green river Soča. The ascent as well as the descent are quite tricky, since the
road is uneven and in parts also covered with cobblestone; yet the numerous
turns make this road perfect for bikers who crave such long undulations,
although in some sections the road, especially while descending, gets rather
dangerous, so extra caution must be given.
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Photo: View from atop the Vršič Mountain Pass down towards the Soča Valley |
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Photo: The Russian Chapel |
On my way
to the top of the mountain pass I stopped by the famous
Russian chapel, built
to pay tribute to Russian soldiers who helped build the road during WWI. The
location is very peaceful, the chapel neatly situated amidst the trees,
underneath mountain peaks to all sides. I walked around a bit, sat down on the
grass, enjoyed the view of the peaks which were not yet covered with snow,
before heading to the top of Vršič.
Since it
was a rather unseasonably warm day for October, there were a lot of tourists
visiting this mountain pass, popular among fans of hiking and all those who
love to admire the breathtaking nature offered by spectacular vistas. I found a
spot to park my bike and immediately made a couple of new friends. The view of
the valley below extends from the high mountain peaks to the forests and the
river in the distance. It was time for me to descend to the Soča Valley below
and tackle the 26 turns in front of me.
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Photo: Making friends ... |
Soča Valley
All bikers will probably know what it means to cover an altitude of
almost 800 metres across 26 turns while descending from atop a mountain pass.
The brakes on my bike were working hard, but it was well worth it, as the undulations
t down towards the Soča River offered spectacular views of the peaks and
forests all around me.
When
reaching the valley below, I stopped for a coffee in a quaint little place
close to the source of the river Soča. As I was in my full gear, I did not take
a walk towards the source, located just about 20 minutes of walking from the
coffee place. Admiring the green emerald river, which was also a setting for
the popular Hollywood blockbuster The Chronicles of Narnia made me realise in what nature-rich and beautiful
country I actually live.
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Photo: Soča River in Lepena |
I made
about 20 kilometres more to the resort of
Lepena, a popular camping place which
is usually packed with locals and even more so foreign tourists in the hot
summer months, since the Soča River represents a perfect place to cool off, as
the water temperature never really reaches more than 16, 17 degrees Celsius.
This also means that you don’t really want to swim in it, but rather just jump
in it to cool off and quickly run out to dry off. There were some “brave” or “crazy”,
if you like, tourists who were actually jumping in the little river pools, even
though it was already October. I walked around a bit and just couldn’t get
enough of the marvellous colours of the water. It was so peaceful on the one
hand and so exhilarating on the other.
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Photo: Soča River pools in Lepena |
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Photo: Soča River |
It was
almost 5 o’clock and the sun was already looking to find a haven for the day,
which meant that I needed to get a move on. Even though I could choose a faster
road, passing the towns of
Bovec and Idrija on my way back to Ljubljana, I just
couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to tackle the Vršič Mountain Pass again –
this time in the other direction. The turns uphill from the Soča direction
toward Kranjska Gora were even better! On the top of the mountain pass I took a
few more photos with the mountains behind me before heading back home.
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Photo: Map of the Route |
A perfect
end to a perfect day. I want to stress it again – regardless whether you are a
biker or not, you should visit this part of Slovenia – amazing scenery will
leave you speechless and gasping for air. Click on some additional photos below
to see what I mean.
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Photo: Lake Jasna |
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Photo: Riding to the Top of the Vršič Mountain Pass |
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Photo: Bridge over Soča River in Lepena |
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Photo: Path towards the Russian Chapel |
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Photo: Sheep on top of Vršič |
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Photo: Viewpoint |
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Photo: The Julian Alps from the Vršič Mountain Pass |
I believe
this was it for this year ... see you in 2019!
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