New in the Julian Alps: the Juliana Bike long distance loop

Our first and very successful tourism product is Juliana Trail, a long-distance hiking trail that is an achievement of networking and cooperation of destinations in the Julian Alps community.  which has also become a very successful tourism product. It is a clear response of destinations to two central challenges of modern tourism - the attitude towards the local community and the mass visit of protected areas.

The Juliana Bike long-distance biking trail was created as a logical continuation of the circular hiking trail. We connected with the Mountaineering Association of Slovenia, which has already developed a long-distance cycling tour around Slovenia and holds all the necessary permits. We made an agreement to make the Julian Alp Association responsible for co-managing and maintaining the Julian Alps part of this cycling route. 

The Juliana Bike trail has 290 km, the altitude difference is about 8,000 meters, the route has 7 stages (plus three access stages), each approximately 40 km long. It addresses different target groups at some stages or part of the stages, but the overall trail requires good physical fitness and proper equipment, as it crosses Vršič Pass, Pokljuka Plateau and Baško Sedlo Pass, for example. The trail runs mostly along forest and well-maintained bike paths, and to a lesser extent along main roads.

This is definitely only the beginning of the development of cycling tourism in the Julian Alps. With a secondary and tertiary network, we will get a well-branched and maintained network of cycling routes that will really be able to satisfy cyclists of all tastes, abilities, knowledge and equipment. The central motto of all these efforts, however, is, and remains, the sustainable aspect of destination development within the Julian Alps community.

Safe in the mountains: readiness, equipment, code, covid measures

In the last two seasons, we can’t avoid the words Covid and Epidemic in virtually any field. This, of course, also applies to mountaineering in the broadest sense of understanding this activity. Like last year, this year is full of hope on the one hand, and at the same time, we are looking at the upcoming mountaineering season with some caution.

Are we well enough prepared for it? Are we aware of the importance of continuing to implement health care measures and adjusting our own attitude towards it? The time of the epidemic has shown people the value of walking in the mountains. But, the mountain world is not a gym, visiting the mountains requires certain knowledge, skills and equipment.

Preparing for the tour by including a risk assessment is extremely important. Following safety principles can certainly lead us to a comprehensive and pleasing experience of the mountains. And striving for adventure - do we consider nature and environment to a sufficient extent? Responsible tourism (hiking, biking or anything else) is crucial for maintaining the mountain world a space we enjoy visiting. 

Slovenian cycling route and Juliana Bike

Cycling in the mountain world, called touring cycling, is becoming an increasingly popular mountaineering activity. As an additional incentive for its development, the PZS Touring Cycling Commission has prepared a circular cycling route called the Slovenian Touring Cycling Route (STKP), which bypasses all major Slovenian mountain groups, measures around 1,850 kilometres and overcomes 50,000 meters of altitude difference.

With it, we want to contribute to sustainable mobility and it is one of the largest projects in the field of cycling and mountain trails in Slovenia. The trail was created in close cooperation with local mountaineering associations, local communities and other organizations in the field of mountaineering, tourism and catering. We opened the trail on the Day of Slovenian Mountain Adventures on June 18, 2016.

The basic route of the trail is not technically particularly demanding, because we want to attract a wide circle of touring cyclists, but in some places, it is necessary to push the bike (but not carry it). The trail leads along non-traffic side roads, forest roads and trains, and field trails. It is run in such a way that it often leads past railway stations, with which we want to encourage visitors to use public transport to and from starting points.

And where does it take place? The route is circular. We will start in Ljubljana, from where we head towards Gorenjska, across Vršič to Primorska, across the Karst to the Coast, towards Snežnik and Kočevska, to Bela Krajina and along Gorjanci towards Kozjansko, through Haloze and Slovenske Gorice to Maribor, across Pohorje to Koroška, ​​to the Savinjska valley and finally in a large arc through Zasavje back to Ljubljana.

Along the way, cyclists will get to know the diversity of the Slovenian highlands and many important mountains, ethnographic and technical history (Pocar's homestead, Slovenian mountain museum, Kugy monument, TNP Dom Trenta Information Center, Javorca, Idrija mine, tourist mine and Mežica museum, etc.).

The route passes 112 checkpoints, and the cyclists will prove their visit by stamping them in the STKP Diary. The trail also offers an opportunity to many smaller tourist providers in some remote, but not less interesting parts of Slovenia.

Cyclists orient themselves on the route with the help of markings, maps, GPS tracks and descriptions in the online guide (stkp.pzs.si), and Planinska založba also published a stamp diary.

STKP in the Julian Alps almost creates a circle, which prompted us to develop an independent tourist product called Juliana Bike. It is intended for cyclists who want to get to know the world below Triglav in a week, who are ready to cover a good 40 km a day and overcome the 1200 m altitude difference.

We start the trail in Bohinjska Bistrica, ascend past the lake to Pokljuka and descend to Radovna, continue towards Mojstrana and the Vrata valley,  along the Upper Sava Valley to Kranjska Gora, ascend to Vršič and descend to the source of the Soča, continues along the Soča to Bovec and ascend below Krn, past Javorca we descend into the Tolminka valley, into Tolmin and Most na Soči, ascend to the Šentviška plateau, continue below Kojca and Porezen, descend to Podbrdo and then return to Bohinjska Bistrica via Soriška Planina. A strenuous, almost 300 km long circle with an 8500 m altitude difference, but in a beautiful environment, in contact with nature and cultural heritage, on a path that promises exceptional experiences.

In recent years, Slovenian mountain rescuers have witnessed an increasing number of rescue interventions. The frequency of our intervention has increased mainly in tourist areas visited at the foot of the Julian Alps and Kamnik-Savinja Alps.

According to the experience of previous years, the reasons for seeking our help are mainly lack of information, underestimation of the mountain world and disregard of physical and mental skills, necessary for exploring such mountain world.

To make the day spent in the mountains perfect, visitors should make sure they are well prepared for the chosen tour. This should be picked in accordance with your physical fitness and health. Quality information on weather conditions is important for choosing the appropriate and necessary equipment. Equipment that we do not know how to use is a burden and can also be dangerous.

Do not rely on posts on various forums and social networks. If you do not have the experience to reach your goal, the best thing is to hire a guide or join a group of experienced hikers/cyclers.

As there is still a lot of snow in the high mountains, which will persist long into the summer, we would like to stress, that these are extremely demanding and deceiving conditions. Stay safe. But in case you need our help, do not hesitate to call. Mountain rescuers are available at 112.