Bohinj Lake and Vintgar Gorge Walks

As I’ve said before, everything’s small in Slovenia. Even its highest mountain doesn’t quite manage to hit the 3000m mark. But the Triglav (“Three Heads”), 136m short of the 3000m, has quite a presence. It’s a three headed monster that dominates the whole area. When its heads aren’t in the clouds, of course.

We got this fantastic view of the Triglav from Lake Bohinj, Slovenia’s largest lake. With a circumference of 12.5 km, it certainly doesn’t break any world records. It’s still twice the size of Lake Bled, mind you. These Slovenian lakes are probably mere puddles on a world scale, but once again, it’s a case of “small is beautiful”. Manageable too. It’s not often that the Oldies can even contemplate tackling anything that falls into the “tallest, longest, biggest…” categories, but even they managed to complete the walk around Lake Bohinj.

The first thing we saw along the way was the “Zlatorog” statue, the legendary Goldhorn, the white chamois buck of Triglav. The Oldies insisted on going over to have a good look at him, but I was glad when we finally moved on. To me, he’s far too big and far too intimidating. I prefer my “Zlatorog” in miniature. Preferably on the side of a glass of cool Laško beer.

The water in the lake has to be seen to be believed. It’s crystal clear round the edges, turning an ever deeper shade of green toward the depths. It was so tempting to take a dip! I sure envied all those inflatable ducks, swans and flamingos bobbing about happily near the many beaches. Coming from Ireland with its forty shades of green, I am well used to green fields and green hills, but I hadn’t expected so many shades of green in Slovenia’s inland waters. It’s no wonder I’ve been hearing mention of the “green heart of Slovenia” so often.

The Dynamic Duo managed another short, but stunningly beautiful walk a couple of days later in the shape of the Vintgar Gorge walk. That was yet another one of those wonderful Slovenian surprises. The gorge walk itself is just magic. I was mesmerised as we made our way along the board walk beside the roaring waters of the Radovna river, which at times falls into the most gorgeous deep pools. The Oldies had to hold me back. I just wanted to dive straight in, especially when I saw all the fish – so clearly visible and so tantalisingly close!

I was gobsmacked by Slap Šum, the waterfall at the end of the gorge. I thought I was seeing things at first, but sure enough, there really is a heart-shaped hole in the rock. I love Slovenia!

The route took us away from the water and through the forest, but I couldn’t complain when we reached the church at the top of the hill. What a spot, great views and great beer! It doesn’t get much better than this. The walk back along the ridge to the start of the gorge walk in Podhom was just the perfect end to a perfect outing.

There’s no doubt about it. This small country is full of big surprises.