Walking Routes
The following walks are our normal itinerary but may vary due to ground or weather conditions, and we add new walks periodically to those outlined below. If you book the hotel as a group, we can tailor the walks to your requirements, and they can be made at any level due to the variety of terrain on offer. Please note that sometimes in early spring some high areas may be inaccessible due to snow (unless the whole group is correctly equipped with winter walking equipment).
Saturday: Arrival day
Sunday: Malenski Vrh and Gora
A pretty and fairly gentle start to the week with this walk leaving directly from the hotel. We climb through the village to enjoy the panorama from the upland meadows, then visit the ancient church at Gora, with lovely views over the rolling hills and valleys. We then descend to the village of Malenski Vrh enjoying long reaching views to the south of Slovenia, walking on tracks through meadows with many interesting and unusual flowers. After a visit to an open door farm where we can taste homemade cordials and juices, we walk home on a circular route on tracks passing a waterfall and through woods with many interesting mushrooms in season.
Total distance: 12.1 km/7.5 miles, total ascent 736 metres/2414 feet, max altitude 1070 metres/3510 feet.
Monday: Soriška Planina and Lake Bled, or The National Park - Mostnice gorge, lakes Bled and Bohinj
We drive in our own minibus to the top of the mountain pass at Soriška Planina, where we do a high level, half-day walk on along a ridge connecting 4 different peaks in a semi-circle high above the ski slopes of Soriška Planina. Wonderful Alpine flowers cover these meadows in Spring. Spectacular views overlook the Alps in the National Park and on a clear day we can see Italy and Austria. We then drive down to Lake Bled, where there is a choice of walking around the perimeter of the lake, climbing to a look-out point (for the iconic photos of the island in the shimmering blue lake), or just relaxing or taking a dip. Here perhaps enjoy a slice of the famous Bled cream cake or a cold beer overlooking the lake before returning to the hotel (today we arrive back late so afternoon tea is not provided).
Alternatively, if weather is less settled we may adapt the day with a day trip to the National Park, including lakes Bled and Bohinj and a spectacular gorge walk. We drive straight to Bohinj over a mountain pass with beautiful scenery, and walk up the dramatic Mostnice gorge with some amazing rock erosion into a superb glacial valley with herder's huts, culminating in a waterfall tumbling off the cliff at the head of the valley. We have a picnic and refreshing drink at the mountain hut before returning to Bohinj and finally visiting Lake Bled for on the way home. Total distance: 6.6 km/4.1 miles, total ascent 535 metres/1755 feet, max altitude 1600 metres/5250 feet.
Tuesday: Walk to Blegoš
This is a fairly long and quite challenging walk, but very rewarding! We leave directly from the hotel to walk to the highest of the Škofja Loka hills. The walk goes through lovely shady woods, ideal on a hot day, then reaching the base of the hill there are two routes, a shorter, steeper way or an easier, longer route. As you leave the woods and walk above the tree line the views are stunning, culminating at the summit of this protected area where many wildflowers and butterflies can be seen, along with breathtaking 360-degree views of the whole area. Blegoš forms part of the Rupnik Line, which formed the fortified border between Italy and Slovenia between WW1 and WW2, and many of the old bunkers can be seen as we walk this route.
Total distance approx 16 km/11 miles, total ascent approx 800m/2625feet, max altitude 1560 meters/5118 feet.
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 to Bukov Vrh
This is a lovely circular walk on the opposite side of our home valley, where the views and scenery are quite spectacular. Our route takes us through beech woods and open meadows to the church at Bukov Vrh, where panoramic 360% views await us, and we see the beautiful Julian Alps in the distance. We continue on paths through open rolling countryside, passing through several hamlets where we will glimpse a traditional way of life, and pause for a picnic lunch on the way. Still enjoying fantastic scenery we descend on good paths back to the valley, maybe stopping for a cooling drink at a farm along the way.
Total distance: 14.3 km/8.8 miles, total ascent 704 metres/2309 feet, max altitude 829 metres/2720 feet.
Friday: Ratitovec
Today we walk up Ratitovec, part of a chain of lower mountains leading to the boundary of Triglav National Park. The scenery is much like the Dolomites with exposed mountain limestone. We climb on a good track which is steep in places through beech forests to a saddle, then through upland meadows scattered with beautiful alpine flowers to Vratca, which, on a clear day, which provides one of the best viewpoints of Mount Triglav. We then cross the saddle and ascend to a vast, broad ridge stretching for 10km/6.2 miles, and are rewarded with superb dramatic views. From here we climb to the highest point, Altemayer and at 1678 metres/5505 feet can see all of the Gorenjska region and feel we are really on top of the world, picnicking here if weather permits. With plenty of opportunities to admire the views, flowers and butterflies, we stop at a mountain hut for refreshments before returning via a different and very scenic route, descending through dramatic limestone cliffs and woods.
Total distance: 7.5 km/4.63 miles, total ascent 752 metres/2467 feet, max altitude 1666 metres/5466 feet
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!
Examples of alternative walks which may be done during the week
Stari Vrh ski slopes: This is a walk directly from the hotel up the hill of Stari Vrh, it starts off quite steeply but soon opens up to lovely views over our village and the rolling hills and valleys to the far south. As we approach the mountain hut we pause to admire the fantastic scenery to the distant mountains and the border with Austria, and perhaps taste a homemade fruit schnapps! We then descend through the meadows which in the winter form the ski resort of Stari Vrh and follow a path through meadows and woods which leads to the beautiful church of St Valentin which is currently being restored, followed by a picnic lunch overlooking the mountains and valleys. We return to the hotel through more woods and meadows via the village of ?etena Ravan.
Walking distance: approx 8 miles/12km; total ascent 450m/1476 feet
Walk to Zabrekve to visit the charcoal burners' villages: This is a lovely walk up from the Selška Dolina valley, famous for its tradition of charcoal burning. We walk on good tracks through beautiful and peaceful beech woods to visit an artist who paints beautiful still life pictures and lives in one of the charcoal-burning hamlets. We hopefully watch the process of charcoal making, unchanged for centuries, before climbing to the church at Muhov Vrh, enjoying spectacular views almost the whole way. We return through open meadows and follow a good path back down next to a brook running through the shade of the trees back to the starting point.
Distance approx 14km/9 miles; total ascent 650m/2133 feet
Golica: In the spring, this mountain in the Julian Alps is covered with wild narcissis. A beautiful walk mostly above the tree line takes us on some steeper ground through the narcissi meadows; stopping at a mountain hut just below the summit, with a circular walk to return to the bus. This hill is a longer drive away but in May provides a spectacular walk.
Distance approx 14km/9 miles; total ascent 550m/1805 feet
Walk to visit Žirovski Vrh and the Rupnik Line: Walking from the local town of Gorenja Vas we climb to a beautiful area of Žirovski Vrh. There we admire the extensive views and visit the fascinating main supply caves and tunnels of the Rupnik Line, the mid-war defences that were built on the then border between Italy and Slovenia before the territory was returned to Slovenia. Following the visit, we enjoy a picnic lunch before meandering back to the valley through beautiful beech woods.
Walking distance approx 15.5km/10 miles, total ascent 600m/1969 feet.
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/3289 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 5 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.
