This was the first time that we had visited Slovenia, so had no idea what to expect.

Flight time is around 2 hours and if you fly during the day (or the stupidly early flight that we took) you will get to fly the Alpes and Lake Bled (if you’re lucky).

The trip from the airport to Lake Bled is quick, easy, and cheap.  It costs around 5 Euros.  As you leave the arrivals lounge, sit and have a coffee and a cake and wait for the next bus to Bled to arrive.  They leave every hour.  Make sure you get the right one.  They are branded Arriva, but they don’t all go to Bled.  The journey is approximately 45 minutes, and you can be dropped on the main street in Bled, or at the bus station. 

Bled is a pretty small town, so it did not take long to find the apartment, drop things off, slap on a bit of sun block and head down to the lake, which was incredibly exciting after such a long day.  Out of bed at 3am and at lakeside by 2pm. 

This first thing that struck us about Bled, was the little lane that we walked down to get to the apartment.  A single vehicle lane with fields either side and all around.  They were wildflower meadows with fruit trees and were frequented by deer (and cats). 

The apartment was in a very quiet location with no traffic. It was in the basement, but there is plenty of light coming in through the windows and the cool temperatures that it provided with the scorching heat outside was more than welcome.  The host was excellent and the kitchen and bathroom were very well kitted out.  The shower was lovely and powerful.

The idea for the first day was just to have a stroll down to the lake to see what was there, but we eventually did the full circuit, spotting for a coffee on the way round.  Temptation and curiosity got the better of us. 

We also managed to find the areas where it was permitted to swim, as this was very close to the top of Nick’s wish list.

This was the first of many walks around the lake and we did not bore of it, even the 6th time.  Every time there is something new to see, different colours on the lake, trees, and the mountains. The views at ground level were stunning, so the planned hikes become more exciting with the anticipated views

The iconic aerial view of the lake is much harder work.  The climb is steep, rugged, covered in tree roots, large stones and includes a long set of steps that are close to vertical.  Every single step is worth it, when you get to the view that appears in all the iconic photos of the lake and St Peter’s church on the island. The total ascent is 1256 ft in approximately 3 miles.

We were really hoping that the descent was easier than the climb and luckily it was.  We took a different route which was still steep, and although the paths were covered in small stones, making it a little slippery, there were less obstacles and no tree roots.    The route we took lead us back to almost where we had started.

As with most things in Slovenia, the trip to the Vintgar Gorge went like clockwork.  There is a free bus from the central bus station.  Central bus station does make it sound much grander than it is.  It is a small, old and from a bygone era.  There are several tourist booking shops there, where you can ask about the bus.  The journey is about 25 minutes before you change buses to take you a further 10 minutes down the twisty road to the gorge.  Not sure why there are 2 buses, but there you go.

The gorge is just over 2 miles northwest of Bled.  There is a small visitor centre and café before you enter the gorge.  You have to wear what looks like an orange kiddie’s skateboard helmet.  I’m not sure how helpful they would be if a bit of the gorge fell on you, but it’s worth a try, nonetheless.

I can only imagine that our experience in May is a lot more fulfilling than August, given that only a handful of us were walking.

The walk through the gorge is approximately a mile long and you are at liberty to go as slow or as quickly as you like.  At various stages, the walkway crosses the river.

The crystal-clear water of the River Radovna flows through the gorge.  In places it is calm and quiet, in others it is turbulent and very noisy.  Some sections of the walk are flanked by canyon walls that reach 250 metres high.  One of the highlights was watching several pairs of Dippers diving in the currents to collect food from the water and seeing them take insects on the wing.

The walk is topped off with a waterfall at the end where the river disappears into the distance calmly, as if it hadn’t just had the bumpiest ride of its life.

Although there are bars/restaurants at various locations around the lake, most are concentrated near the main street.  The number of vegan choices is extremely limited.  Vegetarian food is available everywhere.  We sampled Thai and Chinese, but the real treat was The Old Bled Wine Cellar.  It does not look much from the outside, but inside it is all old school wood.  The staff were extremely friendly, and everything was excellent.  We had the only vegetarian dish on the menu, which was a beautiful risotto.  For meat eaters, this must be a paradise.  They were serving huge steaks as well as many other meat and seafood dishes.

There are 2 options to get back to the start.  There is a shuttle to get you back (the easy way).  You can walk, which is a serious trek uphill for about a mile before you descend for about 4 miles with views of the valley and Lake Bled itself.  There must be a pathway to get back to the lake, but we didn’t fancy risking it. 

And the most important thing of all is the Nick got to swim in the lake, which was clear, warm and amazing. This location for a dip is going to take some beating.