Slovenia is the country that we were most excited to be revisiting on this trip. We had a few nights there in 2019 when we last did a big alpine roadtrip and absolutely fell in love with the place. So in this blog of our campervan adventures, we will be exploring the beautiful mountains, rivers and lakes of Slovenia for 10 days.
It was an interesting route into Slovenia over the Croatian border, Google sat nav took us down a tiny country lane and over a wooden bridge with the border in the middle and 2 almost derelict borders controls on either river bank. We had a pretty scary near miss when a motorbike came around a blind bend on our side of the road - I think we literally missed him by millimetres as he wrestled with his bike to get out of our way!
Kamp Polje
Our first stop off was just over the border in southern Slovenia. We chose a small campsite on the banks of the river Krka which was absolutely delightful. It is a very rural location which is well set up for cycling with dedicated cycle paths. We had a great afternoon exploring the area on our bikes, little did we know it would be the last sunny day we would see for almost a week!
The friendly family run campsite was fab. We had a long chat with a really interesting German couple who were travelling in one of Richard's dream vehicles. We also sampled a bottle of the local wine that they sold in the campsite reception which was lovely. The sunset was glorious that night and it was the first night that we have sat out until late and been too hot in the van.
The Triglav National Park
Lake Bled
Lake Bled has been on our bucket list for a few years. Last time we visited, we had to keep driving through as it was so busy, all the campsites were fully booked and the carparks rammed. We were more prepared this time and prebooked Camping Bled - and its a good job we did!
One thing we have found is that both Slovenia and Croatia start their tourist high seasons earlier than the rest of Europe and many of the campsites do not accept the ACSI card after the first week in June. Camp Bled was one of them so our 2 nights fees cost us €93! We did reflect that we actually had a whole 48hrs in Venice for less - including food and transport! (And if we are honest we enjoyed Venice more.)
The campsite was OK, we were squeezed into quite a small pitch and it was quite boggy as there had been alot of rain. It was very busy. It was also one of the first places on our trip so far that we have seen any other english campers and we had a lovely evening sat having a beer with a couple from Cheshire.
We spent Sunday afternoon walking around the gorgeous lake - the water seemed to change colour every few steps depending on the light and how far above it you were. It is so clear, you could see the fish and occassionally you would come across a crop of lily pads in full bloom floating on the water. The scene of 8 tiny ducklings playing on the lily pads was just too cute!
As it was Sunday, the lake was very busy with weekend visitors and the roar of a constant stream of motorbikes echoed through the valley. Any lakeside spot that you could swim from was jam packed full, we did wonder what it would be like in the full height of summer, but it was nice seeing so many families out enjoying the lake and the sunshine.
The wet weather front that saw us van bound for most of the next 4 days arrived on Sunday night with the most spectacular thunder storm and we didnt leave the van until midday on Monday. At that point we decided we had had enough and went for a swim in the Lake. We were the only ones there until we were joined by an older gentleman from Australia. Surprisingly it was not that cold and we spent about 20 minutes enjoying the quiet and solitude.
There was a brief break in the rain later in the afternoon and we decided to go on a hike to a viewpoint above the lake. It was well worth the trek through the mud and bogs, the vistas were quite incredible. The photo's do not do it justice.
Our original plans were to go to Lake Bohinj next, but with 3 days of solid rain forecast covering most of the Alps and northern Croatia, we decided to find the cheapest ACSI campsite and bed down in the van and weather out the storm!
Kranjska Gora - Camping Spik
We have stayed at Camping Spik in Kranjska Gora before and it is probably in our top 5 favourite places. When the clouds dissipate and the mountains come into view, it is truly spectacular!
It feels like you are in the heart of the Triglav National Park and there is so much to do without having to move the van. On our first day, it rained solidly for 24 hours but we still managed a soggy walk into the town of Kranjska Gora - a 10km round trip. We treated ourselves to a rare meal out and had a fantastic pizza while sheltering from the rain.
This is the first summer trip that we have had to use the van heater and it was on pretty frequently - the temperature didnt get above 10 degrees on Wednesday!
By Thursday, Richard was getting a little stir crazy and decided he would get out on his bike. I made the sensible decision and stayed in the van watching Netflix. He had his mind set to cycle to the top of the Vrsic pass which is at an altitude of 1611m and has 23 hair pin bends. Like a drowned rat, he made it to the top. He says he enjoyed it - he must be mad! He also said that the cycle back down was a little scary in the rain, luckily it was very quiet so he didnt have to worry about the traffic.
Finally the sun made an appearance on Thursday evening and we finally got to see that beautiful mountain view we had been craving. We were surprised to see that there was still quite a bit of snow in the gullies at the top. We were treated to a lovely sunset and we even managed to sit outside for an hour to cook tea.
We went for a walk to find a quiet spot to do some filming for our YouTube channel and we managed to pick ourselves up a new director!
Before we moved on from the campsite we wanted to do a local hike to a trio of waterfalls. The weather was perfect and we didn’t need to move the van. The first waterfall was only a short hike along the river and was a deep man-made weir – even so, it was very impressive and the colours of the water running through the valley was again just magical. Due to all the rain we have had, the waters were running pretty wild and each water fall became more impressive. Stunning to watch – not so inviting to get in for a swim!
The next waterfall was probably another kilometre hike up through the trees. The sheer power of the water sent a misty spray our way even though we were about 100m away and the roaring sound was quite deafening.
The final ‘slap’ as they are called in Slovenia was quite a hike up through a recently harvested pine forest. It was quite hard work making our way up on the rough tracks that the heavy machinery had carved out. The final 500m proved even harder with a tough scramble using heavy metal ropes and rungs to haul ourselves to the top. But wow were we rewarded as the vistas opened up across the national park and the majestic Martuljski Fall came into view. We could get right next to the bottom of the waterfall and the spray quickly cooled us down. It felt like we were on top of the world and we were the only hardy souls for miles!
It was with my heart in my mouth that I carefully made my way back down the steep scramble - it had seemed so easy going up! What an awesome hike.
Kranjska Gora
From Camping spik we moved just down the road to the ski village of Kranjska Gora. We had spotted the camping aire in the town centre and thought we would give it a go at €18 a night. It was in a great spot on the edge of the town and on our first night there we were treated to a Slovenian night at the local restaurant. We could hear the music as we sat and chatted with a lovely couple we had met from Yorkshire – so we went and investigated. Probably the most entertaining beer we have ever had with the band and traditional dancers working the local crowd.
We were up and off by 8.30 the next morning with a plan that we would go over the infamous Vrsic Pass before the weekend motorbikers and tourists were about. We got our breakfast from the local bakery and called off at the lake just above Kranjska Gora to eat it.
We have been to Lake Jasna before but not on a sunny day – it was that beautiful and peaceful that we changed our plans completely and we decided to stay for another day and do a short hike around the lake. I cant even put into words the depths of colour that each lake and the river gave to the vista. Nor how the colours changed over the day.
We stayed for a second night on the aire and got the bikes out for a ride along the old railway line that goes all the way to Lake Bled. We were aiming for the pretty Zelenci spring – a small nature reserve with a viewing platform. A bonus was a pint of Lasko – the local lager at a tiny bar on the rail trail. A perfect end to the day.
We set off again at 8am on Sunday morning for the Vrisic Pass and this time we made it over. Sadly, the weather had changed again and by the time we reached the summit we were totally clouded in, our view was but a misty haze!
We have recently released our latest vlog on YouTube where we spent a week exploring the coastline and ports of the Istrian Peninsula of Croatia. I have put the link in below to that and our 48 hours in Venice.
In our next Blog – we explore the Soca River Valley. It’s a strong statement, but I would say that it is probably the most beautiful river in the world!
Have a great week
Jackie and Richard
We just got back from Bolton Abbey and it’s been wet and very windy so you are still better off where you are!
Great to keep up with your adventures- we’re currently in Portugal as even Galicia had poor weather so we chased the sun. Looking fwd to catching up on the YouTube channel when we sail home in a week or so. 🥂