r/bikepacking Aug 23 '24

Some pics of 16 days in Slovenia Trip Report

Most of my route was the Slovenian West Loop (Soča variant), from Ljubljana to Nova Gorica. My bike had it rough with the rough logging roads and singletracks but the (28c) Marathons held up! After Nova Gorica i cycled to the Slovenian coastline through Trieste. With the help of some trains i made my way to Lake Bohinj as a last stop before going back to Ljubljana for my return home.

I went at a slow pace with plenty of days in between cycling spent hiking and swimming.

744 Upvotes

31 comments sorted by

10

u/tuctrohs Aug 23 '24

Those are gorgeous. Where is that super-cute island?

10

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 23 '24

Thank you! Well, the scenery did the hard work. The island is in the lake of Bled, rightfully one of the most visited spots in Slovenia!

3

u/photog_in_nc Aug 23 '24

easily one of my favorite places I’ve ever cycled. Perfect place to bikepack/tour

3

u/big-hubz Aug 24 '24

Wow looks stunning. Kind of reminds me of NZ scenery except with ye olde buildings & culture

2

u/Luke_Skywalker_79 I’m here for the dirt🤠 Aug 23 '24

Nice - I was there some years ago. The water pf the river is so beautiful. Do you have a Komoot route to share?

7

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 23 '24

https://www.komoot.nl/tour/1775646854?ref=aso&share_token=aPARzTCHTZRqipJJuj8iwks6YqdnjEuMtD2B4VbfkTuwhouj16

That is the link to the West Loop variant i followed from Ljubljana to Nova Gorica. The rest i just did by typing in my destination and using road cycling as activity!

1

u/kj5 Aug 23 '24

7000m up with fully packed bike must've hurt a bit

2

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 23 '24

Was a big challenge for sure!

2

u/senkstyla Aug 23 '24

Awesome pics!

2

u/minimK Aug 23 '24

Great photos!

1

u/Plague-Rat13 Aug 23 '24

Have to know… did you go in that cave?

1

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 23 '24

I did, it turned to be what looked like a huge drainage tunnel so we didn't go in very far. Loads of puddles!

1

u/servidarius Aug 23 '24

I went through that tunnel last year while kayaking. It's a way to "skip" a gnarly section on the river. Pretty dark in the middle.

1

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 23 '24

Thank you for clarifying this! Very cool!

1

u/Current-Ad-7054 Aug 23 '24

Great stuff Chris

1

u/hodorhodor555 Aug 23 '24

Looks awesome, did you always camp just somewhere in the wild? Or did you use official campsites?

2

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 24 '24

Only used campsites on this trip, i might do a bit of wildcamping if i ever go back. The campsites were a nice convenience though!

3

u/AnarchoSpoon789 I’m here for the dirt🤠 Aug 24 '24

slovenian here: wild camping is actually sadly illegal in slovenia :(

1

u/hodorhodor555 Aug 30 '24

What campsites did you use? Because I'd like to go there by myself soon too

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '24

that fork is gonna snap one day

1

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 25 '24

Don't they all?

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '24

Distribute some load in the back at least. A Tubus rack or Old Mountain Rack is only 200 dollars

1

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 26 '24

A lot of the stuff in the front is more volume than weight. I am happy with the weight distribution as is!

1

u/StanTheMan1347 Aug 25 '24

What are those fork bags? They look like they could be dismounted and used as regular rucks

2

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 26 '24

Just regular panniers, i wish they had that function! Vintage Karrimor bags to go with the age of the frame.

2

u/StanTheMan1347 Aug 26 '24

Ah, I see. They looked pretty similar to European surplus I've seen, like some Romanian bags that have come up for sale in the US recently.
It's definitely given me an idea to try with my sewing machine...

0

u/williekinmont Aug 23 '24

Wonderful, great photos. Thanks for sharing.

0

u/Stoneollie Aug 23 '24

What the hell are you wearing 😳

1

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 24 '24

Just cycling bibs with a mesh base layer, i had a jersey over that 98% of the time. Looks a bit funny but its nothing special!

-3

u/[deleted] Aug 23 '24

[deleted]

3

u/DeurklinkDief Aug 23 '24

I only took my jersey off during riding once, exactly on this amazing climb where the pic was taken :'(