Day: |
073 |
Date: |
Tuesday, 24 July 2012
|
Start: |
Idrija
|
Finish: |
Predjama
|
Daily
Kilometres: |
33.9
|
Total
Kilometres: |
1724.7
|
Weather: |
Mostly cloudy, mild and windy
|
Accommodation: |
Gosticna Pozar, Predjama
|
Nutrition: |
Bread, ham, cheese and jam for breakfast; ice-cream, candy and
chocolate (sad, isn't it!) for lunch; vegetables soup, Wiener
schnitzel and roast potatoes, and apple cake for dinner.
|
Aches: |
None
|
Pictures: |
Here |
GPS Track: |
Here |
Journal: |
Breakfast wasn't available until 8am, so I didn't start walking
until nearly 9am, which didn't worry me too much because, though it
was going to be a long day's trek, the terrain looked relatively
benign. It turned out that the guest house was actually one of
Idrija's historic buildings with an entrance fee payable to see the
downstairs area, but my room was good and very reasonably priced
(€30 for bed and breakfast).
The route out of town followed a
beautiful trail south along the Idrijca River, possibly on the bed
of an old railway, before crossing a rickety suspension bridge,
complete with several broken and split wooden slats, that swayed
alarmingly. On the other side, the trail climbed steeply up
through forest onto a plateau where I spent the balance of the day.
For the morning, the Via Alpina predominantly followed back roads
through rural areas with the occasional hamlet and farm house until
it reached the sleepy village of Crni Vrh, where I stopped just
before noon and bought an ice-cream and cola which I enjoyed sitting
in the shade of a tree in the village square.
Not long after
leaving Crni Vrh, I met the French couple, Philippe and Francoise,
that I had passed yesterday lying in a field. This time, they
were just sitting in a field, and I accused them of being
helicoptered along the Via Alpina. We chatted briefly and
discovered we were both heading for Predjama tonight and agreed to
meet up if we could.
A hiker's note in the guidebook said
that "if you like walking through dense forest for hours, and not
seeing anybody, then this is your lucky day" about the afternoon
section. This proved pretty accurate, but it was a beautiful
forest full of eroded limestone boulders covered in green
moss, frost hollows filled with ferns, and a mix of trees. The
trail was almost entirely on gravel forest roads and I rolled along
at a good pace, enjoying the scenery and listening to my iPod.
The Via Alpina emerged from the forest at the historic village
of Predjama, dominated by a formidable castle, dating from the
Middle Ages, built into a cave in the side of a vertical cliff face.
Truly spectacular. Near the entrance to the castle was a guest
house, which had a room, and I checked in at about 5:20pm. The
castle was still attracting many visitors at this late hour and I
sat on guest house deck with a Coke, watching them make their way to
and from the castle. At about 6:30pm, Philippe and Francoise
arrived and joined me for a drink and booked a room. We later
had a very pleasant evening chatting over dinner. They are an
adventurous couple and have been to some very interesting places.
|
|
ADVENTURE LIST
Round Ireland
(2016)
Hume & Hovell Walking Track
(2013)
Via Alpina
(2012)
Australian Alps Walking
Track (2011)
Land's End to John O'Groats
(2010)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2009)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2008)
Round Oz Bike Record Attempt
(2007)
Australia Tip to Top MTB
(2006)
Adelaide to Darwin MTB
(2005)
Sydney to Melbourne MTB
(2004)
Three Peaks Race
(2004)
Appalachian Trail
(1986)
Alpine Track
(1983)
|