Forum menu
I run a youth group MTB Club with a couple of other guys. We organise trips to the Welsh Trail Centres each year as well as local rides.
We're considering a week-long Alps trip for next year, initially thinking Morzine would be ideal, but now also got Slovenia in the mix as a more wallet-friendly option.
Anyone had any experience of riding in Slovenia, particularly around the Bohinj / Bled area?
I can find plenty of general info online about marked cycle paths etc, but not so much on more advanced trails / singletrack. The group are pretty able and easily-bored so this would be important!
Thanks in advance,
Paceman
Get in touch with [url= http://www.mobile-adventures.net/ ]Marko[/url] he does guiding as well as his holiday business.
There is loads of great singletrack all over Slovenia.
Slovenia worked out more expensive for us as we had to fly and drive there instead of drive, and it had nothing like the quantity of trails, but it was stunning and good fun.
I was in ?Slovenia walking and from what I saw if you want alpine type singletrack then guides are a necessity
I'd be checking the access laws.
There's loads of singletrack. It's just not signed or marked on maps. We just used a German guidebook combined with OSM maps for the Bovec area, and steered clear of the Kanin trail centre.
Marked up / signed stuff near Mezica/Prevalje (check out Bike Nomad), but the stuff we did was mostly gravel road. The higher up singletrack still had snow apparently.
Maribor area ditto, but there's a DH/4x type bike park too. And lots of road/gravel bike loops signed.
Can't wait to go back.
We've factored a guide into the pricing, just not sure there'll be enough to keep the teenagers happy for a week compared with Morzine / Les Gets.
Bohinj / Bled area
I can find plenty of general info online about marked cycle paths etc, but not so much on more advanced trails / singletrack. The group are pretty able and easily-bored so this would be important!
Been to Bohinj twice, lovely place but maybe not for your group.
The area is more geared to walking and water sports on the Lake and river with some para-gliding from the mountain top.
There are only 2 bike hire shops which hire hardtails of the GT, v-brake variety, only ever saw any "decent" bikes a couple of times. Any local trails were of the gravity assisted type from what I could find out.
There are as you say lots of mapped and waymarked cycle routes which use mainly farm tracks and roads of the tourist variety.
I hired bikes both times I was there and tried a bit of trail finding along some of the walking trails but they usually ended up going vertical and are very bouldery meaning lots of hiking on the downside of any hill(mountain really.)
There is also a rock climbing area along from one of the Lakeside campsite and a gondola onto the top of the ski slopes.
As for mountainbiking as we know it I did not find any or any locals to ride with.
There is a youth hostel on the Lakeside but that would appear to be more water sport orientated
http://www.hostel-podvoglom.com/
Bovec is better for biking as above but again lots of forest/farm and road biking to join stuff up. The walking tracks are much he same with the maps I found not giving much in the way of detail if you are used to OS(we are spoiled)
Food in these areas is great but inflation has meant it is not as cheap as it was 3-4yrs ago before they joined the Euro.
Spain would probably be your best bet