We had decided to visit two gorges near Lake Bled today, providing the weather was OK and, although cold, the sun was shining and the clouds were white, so we headed off. After our good experience of the dirt road on Thursday, I asked Ana last night about another dirt road that went down the Radovna Valley between Mojstrana and Gorje close to Bled. She confirmed that the road was in good condition and suitable for a motorhome.
Sure enough, the road was excellent and the trip through the valley gave us lovely views and interesting sites. We passed an old water-powered sawmill used only in May and June when the melt waters gave sufficient power for sawing. Further down the valley we came to a derelict house with a memorial in front of it. An information board told us that in World War II, two German soldiers were captured by partisans and when a deadline for their return was missed, the Germans and local collaborators burned down 12 houses burning to death 24 people ranging in age from 7 months to 81 years. The ruin of the farmhouse is kept as a memorial to those who died.
The valley road had the added advantage that it took us very close to the first gorge that we wanted to visit – Poklijuka. We parked up and dressed in layers of clothes before setting off up the gorge but we had only got a few hundred metres when we had to turn back. They were in the middle of a large tidy-up operation that involved felling many trees and the path was blocked in many places, making walking very difficult. We decided that discretion was the better part of valour and headed for the next gorge – Vintgar.
Arriving at lunch time, decided to have a snack before walking to the entrance to the gorge. When we got there, the ticket booth was locked up and a barrier on the path said 'closed'. However, the locals seemed to ignore this and we could see other people on the path beyond the barrier, so we walked around it and followed the locals. I am so glad that we did, it was a fantastic walk down and back up the gorge and, fortuitously, the sun was shining straight down the gorge and through the water as it flowed over the rapids and waterfalls. Vintgar is famous for the wooden gantries and bridges that enable the visitors to follow the Radovna river (the same river that we had driven beside) for 1.6 km. The water has the same lovely light blue colour that we saw in the Bistrica river on Thursday, but it looked even better in this context. Vintgar is a major tourist attraction in the area and is well worth the visit, especially if you can avoid the very crowded high season.
Photos: Memorial to the burned village of Radovna; Vintgar waterfall; Vintgar walkways.
Sure enough, the road was excellent and the trip through the valley gave us lovely views and interesting sites. We passed an old water-powered sawmill used only in May and June when the melt waters gave sufficient power for sawing. Further down the valley we came to a derelict house with a memorial in front of it. An information board told us that in World War II, two German soldiers were captured by partisans and when a deadline for their return was missed, the Germans and local collaborators burned down 12 houses burning to death 24 people ranging in age from 7 months to 81 years. The ruin of the farmhouse is kept as a memorial to those who died.
The valley road had the added advantage that it took us very close to the first gorge that we wanted to visit – Poklijuka. We parked up and dressed in layers of clothes before setting off up the gorge but we had only got a few hundred metres when we had to turn back. They were in the middle of a large tidy-up operation that involved felling many trees and the path was blocked in many places, making walking very difficult. We decided that discretion was the better part of valour and headed for the next gorge – Vintgar.
Arriving at lunch time, decided to have a snack before walking to the entrance to the gorge. When we got there, the ticket booth was locked up and a barrier on the path said 'closed'. However, the locals seemed to ignore this and we could see other people on the path beyond the barrier, so we walked around it and followed the locals. I am so glad that we did, it was a fantastic walk down and back up the gorge and, fortuitously, the sun was shining straight down the gorge and through the water as it flowed over the rapids and waterfalls. Vintgar is famous for the wooden gantries and bridges that enable the visitors to follow the Radovna river (the same river that we had driven beside) for 1.6 km. The water has the same lovely light blue colour that we saw in the Bistrica river on Thursday, but it looked even better in this context. Vintgar is a major tourist attraction in the area and is well worth the visit, especially if you can avoid the very crowded high season.
Photos: Memorial to the burned village of Radovna; Vintgar waterfall; Vintgar walkways.
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