The decision to bypass Idrijia in favor of an extra night in Vipava worked out splendidly. The weather has stayed unseasonably warm, so I was able to put together some day rides that left me options for returning to home base if the heat and/or the hills proved to be a little too taxing. I’ll let the pictures chronicle the rides as there’s not much more to add and I’m getting a bit too far behind on the journal. I would note that Vipava is an excellent base to explore the valley and areas of the Karst Plateau to the south. My one recommendation would be a visit during cooler times of the year - during the fall grape harvest seems ideal.
First, a shout-out goes to Guesthouse Koren and the wonderful Nevenka. She is a warm-hearted and kind soul who helped plan my rides to take in the best sights/best roads in the valley. She offered me fresh juice after every ride and made dinner reservations at two of the towns finest eating establishments. She made me feel like a member of the family and I gave her a big hug when I left.
The plan for today was a circuit through and around some of the small villages and settlements that dot the Vipava Valley. I first headed south along the hills leading up to the Karst Plateau, with the idea of looping back to the villages at the foot of the Trnovo Forest Plateau. I didn’t quite make the whole loop, but enjoyed a delightful, if challenging ride.
Looking southeast toward toward the foot of the valley, with the Trnovo Forest Plateau rising above
Looking down on one of the hamlet of Erzelj. Erzelj is actually not a village but a series of small hamlets scattered in the hills, usually around sources of water
Looking north across the valley towards Ajdovščina. My intention was to visit a Roman fortress on the north side of Ajdovščina and the village of Vrhpolje, shown on the right. However, the heat and hills had taken there toll, so I took advantage of a nice tailwind and sped back to Vipava on highway 444
I considered two options for today’s ride – a visit to the villages along the north side of the valley that I’d skipped on yesterday’s ride, or a trip up to the Karst Plateau to the medieval village of Stanjel. The Karst Plateau/Stanjel won in landslide. I once again devised a couple of alternative routes home, and had a wonderful ride up to the Karst Plateau along the low-traffic regional highways. Stanjel was originally a fortified city with a castle built in the 15th century, but the both the town and castle were heavily damaged in WWII. I spent quite some time exploring the old castle grounds, which are undergoing restoration. As far as I could see, the old town is comprised primarily of the Parish Church of the Prophet Daniel, numerous B&Bs, and individual houses. However, I could find no place to stop for lunch or a cold beverage.
A group of bikers who over-nighted at Guesthouse Koren are just about ready to head out for today's ride
Finding no cafe or eating establishment, I dug into my provisions for a small lunch on this bench overlooking the Karst Plateau. It was quite enjoyable until this old toothless man joined me on the bench, lit up a cigarette, and started hacking away. I quickly took my leave.
After leaving Stanjel I rode on to the village of Kobjeglava, whose church is shown here. However, I realized I'd left my water bottle on the side of the road - luckily it was there when I went back. I decided it was a sign that I need to keep heading back - all the way to Vipava
This view of Stanjel shows the top of the old castle grounds with the remains of stone fortification visible to the left of the church steeple. It looks like the smoking man has given up his bench seat
