From city to Soča - Bikepacking the Slovenia West Loop
From city to Soča - Bikepacking the Slovenia West Loop
Collection by tristanbogaard
11
Tours
64:25 h
478 mi
43,150 ft
Belén and I were very excited to ride this route and now that we have, we hope that our coverage convinces you to give it a try on your next bike ride in Slovenia. The West Loop route, made by Joe Cruz, takes you along the peaks of the Triglav national park, the shores of the Soča river (one of the last free-flowing rivers in Europe) and the vineyards of Slovenia's southwestern farm- and forest lands. In my personal opinion, it is one of the most scenic regions of the country that this route leads you through, and it does so incredibly well. From providing ample water fill-up points and supermarket, restaurant or viewpoint stops, to showing you both the major touristic and rural sides of this enigmatic region in a way that can't really be done without a bicycle. It's a must-ride!As an important note; the original route poses a fair challenge in the Soča valley, where instead of following the river, it takes you over two high ridges on rough (single)tracks totaling in about 2000 meters of extra elevation gain. As many have expressed a disinterest for these ascends in the comments on the Bikepacking route page, we decided to document what we like to call the 'Soča variant'–nothing to do with a virus, FYI.Secondly, as our main goal this summer is to document different bikepacking routes throughout Europe for a long-term period of time, Belén and I carry quite a bit of production luggage and rode much shorter stretches than one typically would. The tracks are the original daily recordings from my Wahoo Elemnt Roam, hence they might include the occasional back-and-forth for a picture or video when I forgot to pause and resume the route recording correctly. They also record the approximate locations of our wild camp spots and show photos of some of the tougher stretches you'll encounter, as well as a preview of the views and water fountains you can find on your way. With this in mind, feel free to download the daily routes and use them for your own riding of the West Loop. To find the original route, just head over to bikepacking.com.Lastly, I've created three video episodes of us riding the West Loop, to offer you even more of a visual impression.Have fun West-Looping!
On The Map
Tours
- 01:187.80 mi6.0 mph1,500 ft475 ft
Day one! After making our way to Ljubljana by train from Milano, with the Interrail passes we're using to stitch routes together by train, we had a huge lunch at Loving Hut (comes highly recommended) and made our way to the Tivoli park to start riding the West Loop.
Joe has chosen to take you through…
- 01:099.35 mi8.1 mph625 ft1,550 ft
Day two! Waking up in the Slovenian hills, climbing up to the first church of the route and having breakfast with 360 degree views was a huge pleasure! The climb up to the church is a little steep and you'll have to get off your bike to push the last part but it's worth the extra effort. It's also a…
Sign Up To Discover Places Like This
Get recommendations on the best single tracks, peaks, & plenty of other exciting outdoor places.
- 02:5615.7 mi5.4 mph3,125 ft1,525 ft
Day 3! A rough yet rewarding day out on the West Loop route. We started comfortably in Škofja Loka after waiting out the rain from the previous day, pretty much immediately climbing up to the castle in town. It's an unnecessary climb and descend, but scenic and recommended. There's a nice cafe by the…
- 03:1024.9 mi7.9 mph1,700 ft1,975 ft
Day 4! Today we woke up at Jamnik, probably the most scenic church in Slovenia. We had breakfast out at the wooden tables before hitting the asphalt road down to Kropa in the valley–the orginal bikepacking route would put you on some serious singeltrack that we really weren't in the mood for, and you…
- 03:1819.0 mi5.7 mph3,250 ft700 ft
Day 5! Starting with a rather steep push out of the Radovna valley, we made our way down to Mojstrana quickly and had breakfast by the river with a nice view on the bridge. This is where a great bike lane started for us, allowing one to cycle all the way to Kranjska Gora with beautiful views alongside…
- 03:2331.7 mi9.4 mph1,425 ft5,450 ft
Day 6! Waking up in a cloud was never so scenic. Our morning ride up the rest of the excellent alternative to main road up to Vršič pass was quiet, peaceful and full of foggy views. There's something really special about foggy forest scenery and we couldn't stop taking pictures.
Having cycled over the…
- 02:3021.5 mi8.6 mph1,200 ft1,600 ft
Day 7! After a comfy night camping out at Kamp Trnovo (€14 per person) we hit the road to get back on our Soča variant to the West Loop. A nice start of a very sunny and lovely day, seeing the river and famous Kobarid bridge, discovering rural towns and making it a sport to stay away from main road and…
- 04:0234.5 mi8.6 mph2,650 ft2,875 ft
Day 8! Starting it by descending down a nice narrow road on the eastside of the Soča valley and rolling into Avce for breakfast at a communal space outside of town was a lovely start to this long day. Fueled up by porridge and coffee, we hit the last stretch of the Soča variant @belletoscan designed…
- 05:3041.3 mi7.5 mph4,425 ft2,850 ft
Day 9! After having a sweet porridge and coffee breakfast at the cemetary by the church, we set out to cover the 600m climb that was awaiting us near Adjovščina, which is a mix of asphalt and gravel. This climb is a really steady one, but was a challenge for me since I was struggling with dizziness on…
- 03:3533.4 mi9.3 mph2,050 ft2,850 ft
Day 10! The final day of our West Loop adventure. We woke up in the grasslands near Cerknica and rode into town early that day, did some groceries and rode the last climb of the West Loop. There's something incredibly gratifying about a last climb, and it was on asphalt too! Where Joe Cruz, the designer…
- 33:34239 mi7.1 mph21,175 ft21,175 ft
The 'Slovenia West Loop' is a route create by Joe Cruz for bikepacking.com and probably one of their most cherished multi-day tracks in Europe.
Before starting, we had gone through the route's comments on their website and noticed that many people had been recommended by locals to follow the Soča river…
Like this Collection?
Collection Stats
- Tours11
- Distance478 mi
- Duration64:25 h
- Elevation43,150 ft
You Might Also Like
Mountain Biking Collection by Saalbach
Mountain Biking Collection by Trentino
Bike Touring Collection by Guillaume
Bike Touring Collection by Heidelberg-Schwarzwald-Bodensee-Radweg