It has been too long since our last blog and a lot of kilometres have been travelled. Despite there being many fantastic trips and beautiful places visited - there is one stand out and that is the home of the cycling goat - Tadej Pogacar.
In September we took 26 cyclists from Ashtead Velo to the Savinja Valley, Slovenia. This region is not a tourist hotspot like Lake Bled in the north west of the country, however we knew the cycling was fantastic with plenty of varied routes and it is home to an amazing cycling hotel.
The Savinja valley is only 45 minutes from the airport at Ljubljana and just under an hour from the capital city (only €1.3 on the bus!). For the purpose of running our trips, it is the perfect location as there are options for flat and rolling routes as well as climbing some of the local Alpine climbs that have spawned the likes of Primoz Roglic and Tadej Pogacar.
The cycling in the region is genuinely fantastic - it will comes as little surprise that there has been significant investment in cycling infrastructure and the bike path along to Lasko from Celje is fabulous and there are plenty more being developed.
Whilst the roads may not be as smooth as Spain, largely due to the hug seasonal variations in weather, they are largely traffic free and the scenery has to be seen to be believed. Whilst planning in coffee and lunch stops was a little more of an unknown, we need not have worrried as the local hospitality was very warm and the quality of food (and portion size!) excellent. There certainly were not any hungry cyclists!
Off the bike, guests swum in lakes in the shadow of ruined castle, relaxed their weary muscles in a thermal spa, visited the Zalec beer fountain and some even ventured to the capital for walking tours, whilst others thoroughly engaged in the local beer culture.
We were based at the Grof hotel which is between Kamnik and Celje and a great launchpad from which to explore the area. The Grof hotel is not just any old establishment. It has beautifully appointed rooms in the 4* hotel and a smaller number of lodge rooms which are some of the best 3* rooms we have slept in! The hotel is themed around the bicycle and there is memorabilia adorning the walls and some great smaller touches to make the stay of the cyclists stress free and fun!
Whilst I could wax lyrical further about the hotel, I must mention the Grof restaurant which is the focal point of the site. The food and service are outstanding and this is reflected by the number of visitors that flock to the restaurant day and night. Being able to offer breakfast and dinner in such an establishment - at a great price is a real win for us - the only danger is we end up returning much heavier than when we left home!
Finally, the staff at the hotel are cyclists themselves, and this makes a great deal of difference as they can engage and empathise with our guests and address so many of the queries. Furthermore, on site there is a bike workshop, storage area and rental facility which meant bikes were well cared for and in great condition throughout depsite the at times arduous terrain.
The long and short of it, is that we cannot wait to head back to Slovenia. It really was a special place to visit and we cannot speak highly enough of the experience we had.
Yes, we are very much love sLOVEnia!
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