Bled, Slovenia

The van started fine, much to my relief, and I set off across the Slovenian border for Bled without any problems. After a very cold night of wild camping in the van in temperatures which dropped to -5 during the night and left a thick layer of frost on the outside, I decided that I should book into the Backpackers Hostel across the road. My time of wild camping without using a heater may be over.

The town is nothing special in itself, just a collection of closed seasonal shops and tourist agencies. The location though, is everything. Bled is a town set up high in snow covered mountians on the edge of a big glacial lake and just walking around the tranquil water on a crisp November day is worth the visit alone.

Right in the centre of the lake and on it's own little island is the picturesque Assumption Church, probably the defining image of Slovenia. There are some great vantage points too from the Straza winter ski run and, in particular, from the Osojnica Peak if you don't mind a bit of a steep hike to get to both places.

Another great building is Bled Castle, set on the edge of a dramatic rocky cliff overhanging the lake. It isn't quite as spectacular up close and most of the buildings have now been turned into the typical museum, ticket office and restaurant. It does have it's own wine cellar though which is run by a monk and his parrot and offers some very generous free samples in the hope you will buy something. The castle also has some great views of the lake and the town below.

On my last day in Bled, I biked up to the Vintgar National Park. There is a great trail here where you can walk on a rather rickety overhanging path of logs which sticks out of the rocky gorge. Right below, the turquiose waters of the Radovna River make foamy rapids and turbulent waterfalls as you cross cross above from side to side.

Bled can now join what is becoming a growing list of touristy places which are absolutely stunning out of season.