Memories of Lake Bohinj

Lake Bohinj: First impressions

I came across a blog on the top 10 things to do in Lake Bohinj this week.

Escape to Bohinj - top 10 activities at Lake Bohinj

It reminded me of my first visit to Slovenia back in 2001 with my husband Tony. We went on a 2 centre holiday, spending a week at Lake Bohinj in the Julian Alps, and a week on the coast in Rovinj, Croatia. We absolutely loved both areas, but particularly loved Slovenia. So much so that a few years later we took the plunge and brought a holiday home in Eastern Slovenia

If you were planning a trip to the Julian Alps, I would certainly recommend Lake Bohinj over Lake Bled.    

Looking back on that first holiday in Slovenia we stayed at the Hotel Zlatorog at the far end (Western side) of the lake. The hotel is now sadly derelict, which is a shame as it was such a lovely, peaceful location. 

Lake Bohinj from close to our hotel

At that time I always travelled with my trusty Pentax K1000. I have dug out some of the slides I took at the time and scanned them for this blog. The scan quality doesn't do them justice, but you will get the idea.

I remember making the short climb up to Savica waterfall and also walking around, and swimming in, the lake. There were few tourists at that time, so it felt like we had the lake to ourselves. We also hired a canoe, which was lovely at first. But then, after canoeing all the way from the Hotel to the village on the Eastern end of the river, it became choppy and windy, so the return journey was hard work.

Savica Waterfall

   

I also have hazy memories of a bike ride around the pretty villages in the area, sampling the various fruit brandies on offer.

At that time the cable car to Mount Vogel wasn't operating. Tony and I did try an ambitious walk up to Mount Voket (1489m) to the North of the lake. We had a grand idea of following the lake to the Eastern end from the summit, but it quickly became clear that it was overambitious. Dark clouds were also gathering, so having spent several hours climbing up, we climbed back down along the same route. 

Return to Bohinj

I have always wanted to go back, take the cable car up to Mount Vogel and try some walks from there. We did return briefly a few years later, when we decided to go for a long weekend camping. Having flown into the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport at Brnik, we spent a lovely couple of days camping at Kamnik, visiting the wonderful Velika Planina. 

We then drove to Lake Bohinj and set up camp at the Zlatorog campsite. Unfortunately, shortly after we hitched up, the heavens open and we had torrential rain. Eventually, as the forecast was more of the same, we threw the wet tent into the back of the hire car and drove to a spa hotel in Bled, where we spent to last few days of the holiday, warming up.

I am determined to return to Lake Bohinj again one day. Reading the Escape to Bohinj website, it looks like Liz and Danny have done a fantastic job of renovating their holiday home in Stara Fužina, so it looks a tempting option for a future trip.