Bike & Hike Week
Experience a mix of walking and cycling tours in the beautiful Slovenian Alps, exploring some of the country’s iconic landmarks with our Bike and Hike week. The package is all-inclusive, including accommodation and top-notch hospitality at our beautiful hotel, Pri Lenart. E-Mountain bikes are supplied (for a top-up charge of 100 EUR) and all days are guided making sure all the activities are at the right pace for the group (Take a look here for more information on prices and what's included).
Our bike tours are suitable for everyone who knows how to ride a bike on asphalt, gravel terrain with some very short steep sections. Mostly we ride the bikes through forests and fields, staying away from the main traffic roads and crowded areas. Our usual tour would be 40 km long with 800 meters/2625 feet of ascent.
Fitness and skill level required: 2 out of 5 (casual fitness, skill level of occasional cyclists).
The following is an outline of our usual week, however, these may vary due to ground or weather conditions, take a look at our route guides for some of our alternative walks. We run dedicated Hike & Bike dates, however, we can provide additional dates for group bookings, get in contact to find out more.
Saturday: Arrival day
Sunday: Cycle from Visoko to Poljanska Dolina
A cycle along Poljanska Dolina, Literally ‘the valley of fields’, taking in the beautiful viewpoints Ermanovec and Slajka.
Monday: Walk to Blegoš
Blegoš is the highest of the Škofja Loka hills and this is quite a long and challenging walk, but the views from the peak are worth every step! We start from the hotel, quickly heading onto a shady woodland path. Reaching the base of Blegoš there is a choice of two routes: a steeper, but shorter challenging ascent or a longer more gradual path. Both of these routes offer opportunities to look out across panoramic views of the surrounding hills. Above the tree-line, the views are truly breathtaking, with Triglav national park visible on clear days. We take a longer descent, enjoying the scenery and often visiting a mountain hut for refreshments before heading back to the hotel.
Total distance approx 16 km/11 miles, total ascent approx 800m/2625 feet, max altitude 1560 meters/5118 feet
Tuesday: Cycle to Pokljuka & visit Lake Bled
Our second day on the bike is a tale of two lakes: Bohinj and Bled. We start with a visit to the heart of the Julian Alps and the serene glacial lake, Bohinj. Then climbing into the mountains we follow a route that leads us on to the Pokljuka plateau, taking in a mix of forest tracks and mountain pastures as well as some incredible views of the region. On our journey back to the hotel we stop off at Lake Bled, visiting a hilltop viewing point that affords a spectacular glimpse of the turquoise lake with its picture-perfect island church.
Wednesday:
Free day, with optional transport provided to the pretty Medieval town of Škofja Loka, where you can spend a relaxing day visiting the town and its excellent ethnographical museum, or from here you may choose to catch one of the regular buses which run to Ljubljana, where you can explore Slovenia's tiny capital. Alternatively, take yourself off with a route card and explore one of the walks from the hotel. Alternative day trips are available by booking a taxi (at an extra cost) to visit other areas, such as the lace and mercury museums in Idrija, Postonja Caves, the coast, etc. Please note that today the restaurant is closed but instead we drive you to a local organic farm to enjoy a truly authentic experience of a traditional Slovenian dinner made from all home-produced ingredients (included in the holiday price).
Thursday: Walk Velika Planina
We drive to the Kamnik and Savinja Alps for a day hiking in the green pastures of this mountain plateau. The walk starts with an ascent along forest paths before reaching the plateau. We follow a circular route discovering the unique architecture of Europe’s largest shepherds settlement. The route affords views towards the Ljubljana basin and the highest peaks of the Kamnik and Savinja Alps.
Friday: Cycle Ljubljana - Sveti Jakob
Friday takes us to Ljubljana to tour and discover Slovenia’s small but perfectly-formed capital city. Starting in Tivoli Park, we ride towards Polhograjski Dolomiti, a group of hills that afford incredible views. Riding on roads and single trails away from the main thoroughfares, we make our way to 'St. Katarina', 'St. Jakob' as well as Toško Celo, one of the best-rated viewpoints near Ljubljana. On the way back we ride through Ljubljana’s city centre, finishing back at Tivoli Park.
Saturday:
Sadly your week is now at a close. You can take a short stroll to a mountain hut for a last look at the scenery and a light lunch before we escort you to back the airport (if taking the Easyjet flight to Stansted). We hope you have enjoyed your taste of Slovenia and that one day we will welcome you back to Pri Lenart!
Walk difficulty and fitness levels
Our accompanied walks are of moderate length and difficulty. Most of the walks are on well-marked paths and tracks, through woodland, upland meadows and on high rounded hilltops (up to nearly 1700m/5577 feet). Paths are generally good, but many are steep in places as we are in the foothills of the Julian Alps. To enjoy the accompanied walks we recommend that you are comfortable walking in hilly areas at a steady pace for around 6-7 hours each day (including rest stops). Walks generally include around 600 metres/1969 feet ascent (on one day up to 1000 metres/3281 feet ascent), which involves walking steadily uphill for sometimes several hours - but the rewards are great in terms of views, and there is usually a mountain hut for rest and refreshments at the top of the longer ascents! Generally, one ascent will take you to a flattish area where the views are spectacular, and from there the rest of the walk is quite level and then in descent. If you don't regularly do day walks in hilly terrain, please ensure you are fit enough to enjoy the walking programme by doing some aerobic exercise and hill walking prior to your holiday!
Equipment
Approximately 4 weeks before departure we will send you holiday notes and a suggested list of equipment to bring with you. If you have any questions prior to booking please contact us and we will be happy to help.
