Day 13 – Vrsic Pass here we come

May 05, 2026

It was another clear and cool morning. We retrieved our bikes from the basement without incident.

The hotel we had stayed in was very quirky. The beds were not that comfortable and the shower was less hospitable. The breakfast was good though. I think the hotel may have been one of the early ones in this alpine area as there were items on display from a much earlier era such as an unusual typewriter which seemed to have two sets of keys.

The view as we rode out of Kransja Gora

The unusual typwriter

On leaving Kranjska Gora we almost immediately start climbing. We first came across a lake that had been depicted as being very pretty but as we rode past it, it seemed to me to be nothing special. Bev told me later that around the other side it was indeed very pretty, but unfortunately no photo of it. Almost immediately after leaving the lake the gradient quickly increased. The climb from bottom to top was 13kms. This was by far the longest climb any of us had done. They said the average gradient was about 14%. Fortunately, electricity it made it much easier for us older people. We weren’t alone on e-bikes. Of course, there were the road cyclists riding it reasonably quickly although none passed us. We stopped a couple of times to take photos as the scenery was spectacular. Once was to have a coffee at a café about three quarters the way up the pass. It was very nice sitting in a chair and in the sun watching other cyclists go past understanding how they must be feeling.

Riding through the trees

Watching the cyclists go by

Further up the road we stopped for a moment to take in the views when a family of three children and two parents (all on e-bikes) cycled quickly up the road. The youngest must have only been around 7 or 8 years old.

Far sooner than I thought it would take we arrived at the top of the pass. Snow was still present and while a little cool it was nice in the sun. The pass had many people there for a variety of reasons; some about to go tramping/hiking and others just sightseeing, and quite a number of cyclists. The number of cars there suggested it was also a destination in its own right.

Apparently, the top few kilometres were unpaved until recently but with a professional cycle race due to take place in Slovenia, it was paved. It made for relatively easy riding.

Bev at the top of the pass

Getting ready to ride down that road behind me

Enjoying the views

The ride down the other side was both exhilarating and scary. There were plenty of switchbacks and the speed quickly built up despite our wide, knobbly and low pressure tyres. It gave me a new appreciation of the skill and bravery of the professional riders who rocket down roads like this one.

Very soon we had done about 8 kms of the steepest part of the road. We were ready for a bit of lunch and stopped by the Soca River that at that point was only a large stream. It was very nice sitting in the sun enjoying our picnic lunch with food that had been swiped from the buffet breakfast.

Lunching

Looking back to where we came from

We continued rolling down the road until we reached a place where the river went into a small gorge. We took a side road alongside this tiny gorge and then we were on a stony bottom jarring track. It took us away from the main road. By this time the river had grown in size and become a braided river. The track had a couple of surprises for us such as a very steep drop which had large stones randomly scattered on the surface. In the interest of safety we decided to walk the bike down the 20 metre drop.

We stopped for a few minutes to watch some kayakers taking on the rapids. They looked like a group who were being led by experienced kayakers.

Kayaking on the Soca River

Finally, after 50 kilometres of cycling through spectacular scenery we arrived in Bovec and our hotel. We were relieved to find that we did not need to take our bikes down into a basement instead it was a small container with several other bikes already there.