Pedal & Paddle day in Slovenia
Today it was 28 degrees and there was blue sky and sunshine. At 9am a group of us set out from the Bolfenk settlement in the Pohorje hills for a "pedal and paddle".
First we were issued with our mountain bikes and given a few intructions, then we were off. Uphill! And it was a steep hill. I have to say my bike was excellent - there's no way I would have made it up to the top on my own bike , but I made it on this one. At the top there's a tower which you can climb for a magnificent view of Maribor and it's surroundings.
After a brief rest and drink of water we set off again - this time for about 12km of rolling hills - some up, some down, through streams, fields and down through the forest. Some of the route was on tarmac, some dirt tracks and one bit had to be the steepest, bumpiest track I've ever cycled down!
Once down in the valley it was a short cycle ride to the river Drava where we swapped our bikes for kayaks - we then paddled down towards Maribor for a couple of km arriving at the Drava Centre where a refreshing glass of apple juice and some roasted chestnuts were waiting for us - delicious. Our bikes had been transported along to join us and then it was an easy 5km cycle back to the gondola lift and up the mountain to our hotel. We were hot, tired and happy! A wonderful day that I can highly recommend to anyone looking for an active adventure in Slovenia - I suspect my legs will ache tomorrow, but the day was fantastic and I'd sign up for "pedal and paddle" again and will be recommending it to anyone coming to Slovenia.
Pedal & Paddle day in Slovenia was posted on 30 September 2011 by Katie Waddington.
