Bled : The Vintgar Gorge

I should I suppose confess that I had a rather restless night. It was full of endless deserts, mirages, empty water containers, etc. The reason for this is that Y had decided last night that we would be going to Vintgar Gorge today. So far it’s a really great idea. We can catch a tourist bus there and back and the gorge is guaranteed to have a cool, damp microclimate. Unfortunately she reckons we don’t need to worry about the bus back, we can walk instead. This is the bit that worries me. By the time we leave the gorge it will be midday and the sun will be burning down whilst we walk back across the open, shadeless plains. Added to this our map doesn’t actually cover this area, so we won’t know where we are either!

I’m not sure that this time we will find any kindly local farmers offering us a lift back to town if we get into trouble, hence my lack of sleep last night. I honestly don’t know which of us is dafter; Y for making daft decisions or me for not talking her out of them. In the end I go along with her, hoping I can change her mind later, or come up with a cunning plan!

Beneath us the River Radovna tumbles, churns, froths and occasionally rests in calm clear blue pools.

We do cop out a bit by catching the tourist bus straight to the gorge. It picks us up just outside the hotel and in fact is quite reasonably priced. However the local buses are probably much cheaper.

Although we don’t have a map, we do have a rough sense of the direction we should be heading; so it is a bit of a surprise to end up doing a tour of the whole lake. We do this in 15 minutes, not a whole day like last time. However the final insult is driving up to the castle. So much for all our efforts yesterday!

Finally we are off to Vintgar Gorge, through a slightly circuitous route via Spodnje Gorje. It is a steady climb all the way; ideal if we plan to walk the return route. However it is about 4 kilometres, twice the distance as the crow flies.

Of course the word gorge should have been a clue. If you plan to walk along one it’ll probably be at the bottom of it and we suddenly descend rather rapidly. Oh boy, that’s going to be some climb!

Regardless of my misgivings, this really is an amazing natural spectacle. We climb downwards along narrow paths cut into the walls of the cliff, or on wooden boardwalks and bridges that cling to the rock in a gravity defying feet of 19th century engineering.

Beneath us the River Radovna tumbles, churns, froths and occasionally rests in calm clear blue pools. I’ve seen scenes like this in England but the water is always stained a peaty red.

Because the water is obviously such a star in this show, it can be easy to forget to look at anything else. Glance upwards and you are towered over by vast limestone cliffs, with obvious layers that have then been pushed up into folds. In places plants cling to anything they can get a hold on and ferns and mosses lend it a prehistoric feel. Higher up fir and beech trees teeter on the slopes.

There is fauna as well as flora here in the depths of this gorge. I can hear birds all around us and even spot a dipper scrabbling over stones before launching itself underwater. I had tried to show these to my Mum recently on a trip to Hadrian’s Wall. Sorry Mum, I guess we should have come here instead!

The only problem with the gorge is that it is popular. There is a steady stream of people trying to get down narrow paths in both directions. I find myself endlessly being pressed into crevices in the rocks and not once did I get anything that sounded like a thank you. In fact the only time I decided the other person had the best passing spot, they almost pushed me over the edge! The closest we got meeting someone with any manners were the hundreds of children on an adventure holiday. They all said ‘hello’ in English as they passed. Of course I had to reply to each and every one of them. This included the two who have obviously incurred the wrath of their guardians as they have been physically tied to them with ropes! I’d love to see someone try that back in the UK without being hauled before a court by Social Services.

We finally made it to the end of the gorge and the promised Slapsom Sum or Sum waterfall. It stands 16 metres high and is an impressive sight indeed. There is even a rainbow hanging in the mist above it. However for a few moments we can’t for the life of us see a way down to the foot of it. However we do eventually find a set of steps and a rather rickety bridge that allows us the chance to admire it in all its glory.

I had also spotted a useful sign near the ticket office, which looked like it might offer us an alternative route back to Bled. In one of Y’s photocopies it had mentioned following the trail to St Catherine’s pilgrimage church and then onto Bled. Now I could see a really well marked and clear route, surely preferable to the one we had just driven. We made our decision over some ice creams. Off to St Catherine’s it was; through the dense forest of the Triglav National Park.

Earlier I mentioned that gorges tend to be a bit steep and this one was no exception. It felt like a repeat of yesterday’s climb, with the only real benefit being the shade offered by the trees. We slowly plodded up the zigzagging slope, pausing plenty of times to ‘admire the view’ as we are now euphemistically referring to our breathers! We try hard to look casual as fit young things streak past us.

Still we made it up quite quickly, following the red and white painted markers that did a great job keeping us on course. We did cross one small sunny glade full of wild flowers, but the entire climb was wooded and cool. In fact just when it began to sap our flagging resources we discovered a small spring (hopefully not a drain) and took the chance to cool off. I discovered I could fill my new hat with the water and then quickly pull it back onto my head, letting the freezing cold water run down the back of my neck. It’s glorious and naturally Y has to have a go too.

Little did we realise that we were only about 100 metres away from the top of the hill, with a wonderful view over the surrounding plain and a very welcome pizza restaurant with shady benches (and running water).

We can also see the tiny church of St Catherine. Of course we take a look at this, but sadly it is firmly locked. However there seems to be a small external pulpit and Y can’t resist the chance to start preaching.

“Listen to me everyone!” she commands, “listen to me and do what I say”.

I point out that perhaps today has proved that if anything ignoring her would make more sense, particularly when she announced this morning that it was clearly much cooler today and ideal for a nice long walk. She has an amazing capacity to forget that mornings tend to be just that little bit cooler than midday. She’s obviously suffering from heatstroke as she immediately changes her message to “don’t listen to me!”

Luckily we can examine the restaurant in much more detail; sampling some enjoyable cool drinks. I even order a second, basically wanting to try the drink that has just been ordered by someone else. It was very colourful; orange below and red above. We had seen some people drinking it at the castle yesterday too, so I have to give it a try. It turns out to be a strange mix of Fanta and red wine. Very good it is too, taking my mind off the hot hike that we are about to undertake.

However there is one blessing, we can see Bled in the distance; in fact it’s the toboggan run that stands out most clearly above it. We can even make out the long windy road that we need to follow. It may be hot but it does at least look quite pretty. Best of all it is definitely all downhill from here.

We head down the quiet lane, bordered on each side by lush meadows full of pretty wild flowers. No intensive farming here, just a landscape that doesn’t seem to exist in Britain anymore. We even see the picturesque hay racks being used; full of drying grass to keep the livestock going through the winter.

A little way down the road we pass some very nice German tourists. They seem to want to talk to us and then I realise they are trying to tell me that I’ve dropped my camera bag a little way back. So I smile bravely at them and walk back up the steep hill to reclaim it. At least it keeps Y amused.

It is a long walk back to Bled. We finally hit the flat plains after passing through the beautiful and almost abandoned village of Zasip “Where is everyone?” asks Y. What does the song say? Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. Hang on what about barmy English women?

Beyond the town we walk through vast, flat, cultivated farmland. Again these seem to hark back to a bygone era. They seem to use a strip farming method of planting, rather than the enclosed fields we now accept as a traditional feature of the British landscape.

We are almost surprised when we reach the outskirts of Bled, but then the town does sprawl over a very large area. But we have our sights set on a very familiar castle perched high on a cliff above us.

As we finally make it back to the old part of town (after a brief pit stop in one of the nationalised Mercator supermarkets) I begin to notice the heavy black cloud hanging above the castle. Then a brief flash of lightning and roll of thunder and it’s all over.

Of course at the threat of rain we had dived into the nearest cover available – The Bear! It must be time for cake again. In fact the rain doesn’t turn up until we finally settle in at our hotel, shattered after yet another mad adventure. In fact I’m sitting on the balcony writing this now with a terrific storm taking place all around us. Typically English, everyone else has bolted themselves into their rooms. But I’m made of sterner stuff, plus for the first time in ages the air actually feels cool.

As I’m sitting there watching the rain pelt down, I spot something flutter onto the panel of the balcony to my right. When I look, a rather young nuthatch sings to me quite loudly before heading back to his tree. Earlier in the week a baby pied wagtail had actually hopped right past me and under Y’s bed. The wildlife is certainly very friendly round here.

Thankfully the rain does finally subside and the thunder stops rolling around the surrounding hills. So we set off in search of food. Y can’t make up her mind so I do, dragging her back up the hill just past the Bear to a rustic tavern we had spotted earlier in the week.

We sit on the terrace overlooking the church and eventually are greeted by the waiter. Y plumps for a traditional Slovenian dish of stuffed pork, cabbage and apple, whilst I go for Trieste style trout with buttered potatoes. Both were really wonderful although Y’s isn’t quite what she had imagined. It was more like the pork meat fritters my mum used to make; perversely known as cowpats (kids really will eat anything if you give it a gross enough name). I’m amazed to find myself presented with two succulent trout, both spread with a tangy, raw garlic paste. The potatoes have been tossed in butter with some kind of green leaf that could be cabbage or spinach; either way it is really lovely. He’s a very good waiter, bringing us two spoons when I order one portion of their “must try this” pudding. That’s literally how it’s described on their menu. The closest I can come to describing it is a bit like a trifle. Y isn’t too keen, but she does enjoy her two glasses of local wine.

We walk back to the hotel via the steps by the church. Uneven at the best of times but tricky if you’re a bit wobbly on your feet! The lake looks ethereal, cloaked in a hazy mist. It is really stunning and of course we have to try to capture it. I manage by balancing my Camera on a bench and using the timer to keep my camera still. Y relies on her incredible balance and poise … oh dear! A tourist with a mini tripod lets her borrow it and then takes some photographs for her, realising that she’s not going to manage by herself. It’ll be interesting to see the results.

The earlier rain has unfortunately resulted in vast clouds of midges and despite insect repellent I finally do get bitten. However they aren’t too much bother, but you can feel them all around you if you stand near the lake. Time to go I think!