Romania, Slovenia (Bled), Croatia (Rab/Velebit), N Italy (Dolomites)

[chris]

Hi there

I have the following timeline this summer (2008):

10 to 20 July: Solo-touring Romania on DRZ400, trying to stay on dirt roads as much as possible

20 to 26 July: competing in the EnduRoMania meet at Brebu Nou

29July to 5 August: Camping with wife and son at Lake Bled in Slovenia, but have DRZ and also a Triumph road bike available to escape domestic bliss for a day or a few hours.

5 to 12 August: Camping on Rab Island in Croatia with wife and son, but I definitely will escape on the DRZ to the Velebit mountains for a day or 2.

15 to 24 August: Solo. Riding DRZ on dirt (if legal) in North Italy (not sure where yet, but the Dolomites are favourite) or on the Triumph on the road.

Does anyone want to meet for a coffee or ? Or ride together for a day or 2?

I have a few ideas of where to go in Romania ( http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...utes-gps-35235 ), but haven’t thought too much about Slovenia or the Dolomites. I don’t have a problem with looking at a guide book or a map and finding the least straight lines and heading there, but if there are any must-see/must-do roads or sights, maybe you can give me a heads-up.

All the Best,
Maybe see you on the road or in the bar.
Chris from England

[bibote]

Hi Chris! Nice schedule for this summer eh!

You'll enjoy lake Bled and sorroundings. Its very nice and fresh in summer. Usually I don't recomend to visit any city, but Ljubliana is different. It's a very, very nice city and it mixes east and west europe. A modern city, with tons of life and activity in the center. A nice river that flows through the city and a lots of nice bridges over it. If you can spend a couple of days in the city, do it. Trust me.

i don't know that part of Croatia, but i know the Krk island and it's cool.

About the Dolomites, i hope some local tells you, but i'd tell you better forget about riding off road. All the paths are full of people walking and trekking. I used to do it last year and it's a good idea too. Awesone scenery, man! Better take the Triumph and enjoy that roads, one of the bests areas for riding a bike in the world.

As i said before, hope some local helps you better, but that's what i'd do.

Cheers.

[chris]

Hi bibote
Many thanks for your reply. I'm looking forward to the Dolomites.
cheers
Chris

[chris gale]

Hi
The Vraisic pass just outside Kranjska Gora is worth a whizz and not too far from Bled . By Lake Bled there is an ace pizza place to take the kids to just near the church / footpath up to the castle . If you find the large hotel to your right , walk towards it and the restaurant is up on your left - well cheap and the s are good .
Kranj is worth a visit , also there is another less visited lake Bohinj ? south of where you are - very pretty and less tourists .

Croatia Wise anywhere is nice really , i travelled all the way down to Montenegro by bike and didnt want to come back . Would take a German phrase book as alot of locals only speak it as a second language , english being quite rare in my experience .
Safe roads

[Mermaid]

Originally Posted by chris gale

Hi
also there is another less visited lake Bohinj ? south of where you are - very pretty and less tourists .

It is Lake Bohinj - in my opinion far nicer than Bled as it was alot less crowded. There is a campsite on the southern shore as well as a couple of hotels/guesthouses at the eastern end. There isn't much else around there but the campsite has very good facilities as well as a pretty good cafe. (I had the best trout I've ever had taken straight from the lake.)
There is a good walk that circumnavigates the lake and you can get a boat ride (electric powered) from the campsite to Ribcev Laz at the western end of the lake. You can also walk up to the waterfall (Slap Savica) but unless it's been pretty wet I'm not convinced it's worth the walk!

In Croatia - there is the hotel Villa Koruna in Mali Ston on the Peljesac Peninsula that offers 10% discount to bikers. No apparent reason but it was a great little place!

[DesertSoul]

Nice to read this. Spare a week for Slovenia. I'll be back from Spain by the 20th, my right shoulder should be back on place and strong by then, so we could meet around Ljubljana, Bled or Vršič, which is definitely a great pass to pass. And don't forget the Soča valley, one of the nicest places in Slovenia, spreading from Vršič (south of Kranjska gora in NW Slovenia) pass Bovec to Nova Gorica. Rafting, canyoning, hiking, great views and great curves. You can get in touch with me through my webpage or dial my cellular 041 744 255. You'll find the SI country code and do the "0" trick yourself.

See you, cheers,
Tilen

[chris]

Hi DesertSoul and others
Many thanks for your input. Maybe I'll see you on the road this summer. Look out for either a Suzuki DRZ400e in white/yellow with big tank or a Triumph Thunderbird Sport in black/yellow, both with GB licence plates.

I'll either have a red/white/black Arai TourX or a black/white/checkered road bike helmet on.

My cell number is +44 78 one two 941 eight sixtyseven

cheers
Chris

[fattony]

I'm writing down all these places youve mentioned. Next thursday I leave UK on a 4 month road trip north thru Norway, down Finland, St Petes, Baltics, Eastern Europe and then the Balkans. I should be in the Slovenia/Italy region by mid october. Are the passes still ok then or are they snow covered or is it variable?
Tilen- would be great to meet to do some riding.

cheers
Tony

[DesertSoul]

Hi fattony,

Mid-October should be fine, while mid-November can sometimes surprise us with snow on the Vršič pass. The problem is there's a huge danger of avalanches so they stop cleaning the road pretty soon and close it, usually till March. But I repeat, October should be fine despite the unreliable weather lately, the only "problem" being rainfall. Interior of Slovenia and Croatia is ok, but the old roads on the Karst region in Slovenia (Kras in Slovene) and coastal roads in Croatia, from Istria to Dubrovnik, get very slippery with rain. They used to mix limestone into the tarmac.

If I'm in Slovenia will be glad to show you around. Since I'm not really very regular here, the best way is to bookmark my web page and send me a mail when you're reaching southern Germany or Slovakia.

Safe journey and good luck!

[fattony]

cheers, hope to see you then.

tony

[jimmybud]

hiya chris

me and a mate are heading to mongolia on 31.07.08. we will be stopping in our cabin at Bled 1st - 4th aug.. Would like to meet up and have a /ride out. jimmybud20@hotmail.com

[chris]

Hi Jimmybud
Great idea. My mobile number is +44 7 eight129418sixtyseven
See you then.
Chris

[chris]

Been there, bought the tshirt:
http://www.thebrightstuff.com/romania2008overview.htm

[Andysr6]

hi, will be in Romania end of June / early July 09. i want to do some trail riding, nothing too scary, can anyone recommend the best routes / areas including long distance trails. Cheers Andy