Tag Archives: Triangel

Summer on Zelenica and Tržič’s Triangle!

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The Ljubelj pass is the oldest road pass in Europe. Prior to the building of the Ljubelj tunnel, the steep pass, which reaches 1,369 metres above sea-level, was the main transport route from Slovenia to Klagenfurt in Austria. Since the building of the Karavanke tunnel in 1991, however, the Ljubelj tunnel is far less frequented, while today Ljubelj and Zelenica are favourite year-round destinations for hikers, skiers and the odd hardcore cyclist here and there!

I’ve already written about winter sports on the Ljubelj Pass and Zelenica, so this time you can read and see the ‘green’ version which, depending on whether or not you are a lover of the ‘white stuff’, is equally if not more beautiful!

After several failed attempts to get together for one reason or another, my friend Sabina and I met in Tržič (I, by bike, her by car) then drove to the parking area in front of the Ljubelj tunnel. Note: parking is now payable, we didn’t realise and nearly missed the sign, fortunately, just before you set off, there is a reminder saying Placaj parkirnino in privarčuj (Pay the parking fee and save yourself a fine) for those like us!

Having paid, we set off…

…up the ski piste.

As is to be expected of a ski piste, it’s a fairly steep incline, but the magnificent surroundings means its easy (or easier!) to forget about the effort.

You soon spot the (now defunct) Vrtaška koča mountain hut, which you pass, as well as some friendly four-legged friends!

You can’t possibly get lost and eventually find yourself at the top of the ski piste and at the Planinski dom na Zelenici mountain hut.

From the hut we could already see our first target for the day, a small peak known locally, for obvious reasons, as Triangel, otherwise called Vrh Ljubeljščiče, at an altitude of 1,704m.

Unlike the other paths on Zelenica, the one up to Triangel isn’t marked, but its easy to follow and you can be standing atop the peak in around 15-20 minutes.

If you want a short hike, you can call it a day and from the peak make your way back to the hut and return the same way or, like us, choose to continue your hike to one of the other surrounding peaks, such as Vrtača, Begunščica or, in our case, Srednji vrh.

The path is well marked with the usual red and white trail markers. It initially leads along a magnificent scenic trail with wild flowers and butterflies galore, then across scree towards Vrtača, where it splits; the upper trail leads towards the peak of Vrtača, while the lower ones is marked towards Stol, which we took.

After a while you come to an intersection of trails, where again you can choose your onward direction.

We turned left at the above sign and went downhill for a few minutes to reach the Šija saddle, where you are again greeted with an array of signs.

From the saddle it’s just a short 20 minute climb up to the top of Srednji vrh. From the top, on a clear day, you can see Lake Bled and across the Radovljica Plains towards the Julian Alps. We, however, didn’t have such luck; when we started out it was a perfect cloudless day but it soon clouded over and the wind got up, hence the views are just ‘great’ instead of ‘stunning’!

After returning to the saddle, we made the short walk down to the Koča pri Izviru Završnice mountain hut, where, again, there you are confronted with numerous choices.

To return to Zelenica, first follow the sign (below) to the Planinski dom na Zelenici mountain hut and ‘Izvir’ (Source of the Završnica stream).

From there its just a short cca. 15 minute walk back to the mountain hut, where you can enjoy some well-earned sustenance (yes, I ‘borrowed’ Sabina’s food for the photo, us coeliacs are used to having our own Scooby snacks with us, just in case!) before heading back down the ski slope and completing a wonderful, almost circular, and highly recommended (by me!) hike.

While in the area you can also visit the Mauthausen concentration camp for some quiet contemplation. You can read more in a previous blog here.

So, that rounds up another lovely day spent in the Tržič area, which should most certainly be on your list of places to visit whilst in Slovenia.

© Adele in Slovenia

A World of Winter Sports in Tržič: Ljubelj and Zelenica

Posted in adeleinslovenia, hiking in Slovenia, hiking trails, ifeelsLOVEnia, Karavanke, Karavanke mountains, skiing, skiing in Slovenia, Slovenia, Slovenia blog, Tržič, Uncategorized, Visit Tržić, winter sports in Slovenia by

The for many (not me, I hasten to add!) long-awaited first significant snow of the year arrived last Friday and, following a cloudy day on Saturday, Sunday’s sunshine and gorgeous blue skies saw almost half, if not more, of Slovenia heading out to pursue their beloved winter sports!

Among the most popular destinations in the Gorenjska region for sledging and other winter sports is Ljubelj, from where you there is a choice of going to either Zelenica or the old Ljubelj pass, or, like me, why not visit both in one day!

The Ljubelj pass is the oldest road pass in Europe. Prior to the building of the Ljubelj tunnel, the steep pass, which reaches 1,369 metres above sea-level, was the main transport route from Slovenia to Klagenfurt in Austria. Since the building of the Karavanke tunnel in 1991, however, the Ljubelj tunnel is far less frequented, while the Ljubelj pass today is a favourite year-round destination for hikers and in winter it turns into a sledger’s paradise!

It takes about 45 minutes to walk up to the top where the border is marked by two stone obelisks.

Having walked up in beautiful blue skies, a wave of fog suddenly swept in when I reached the top. Luckily, its pretty quick to get back down by sledge!

The Koča na Ljubelju mountain hut is located just metres from the border.

Photo: Visit Tržič

The Ljubelj pass road has long-since been closed to traffic other than for one day every year in September when the Hrast Memorial takes place. The event sees hundreds of motorbikes, motorbikes with sidecars, and old-timer cars competing up the 33% gradient.

Photo: Visit Tržič

But Ljubelj isn’t just a winter destination, there are plenty of hiking trails to explore during summer too, on both the Slovenian and Austrian side. However, many of these routes are not suitable for hiking during winter, so be sure to check the conditions, plan carefully and have the correct equipment – which, it goes without saying, applies to all such winter sports.

The Slovenian hiking routes are marked by red signs and the trails marked by red circles with a white inner, whereas the Austrian routes are marked by yellow signs and the trails along the border by green circles with a white inner.

From the large car park just in front of the Ljubelj tunnel the trail to the Ljubelj pass goes to the right, whilst to the left is Zelenica.

Despite no longer being an ‘active’ ski piste, Zelenica was very much ‘alive’ on Sunday with hikers, ski tourers, snowboarders, a mountain rescue team practicing winter mountaineering skills, sledgers, and I even saw one guy carrying a bike on his shoulder up the snow-covered ski piste!

For many the target destination, year-round, is the Dom na Zelenici mountain hut (1,536m) whilst others continue onward to the surrounding peaks such as Triangel (1,704m), Begunščica (2,060m), Vrtača (2,181m) and Na Možeh (1,784m). The hut is open daily in the summer (1.6 – 30.9) and during the rest of the year at weekends and public holidays (1.10-31.5).

In addition to being a ‘regular’ mountain hut offering warm food and drinks for visitors, the hut is also a Mountaineering Education Centre and hosts numerous events, courses, lectures etc. It has 50 beds and can be hired for group events, training sessions etc.

I will be writing plenty more about hiking in Tržič over the course of the year, and Ljubelj, when it isn’t snow-covered, is among the destinations I plan to visit as part of some longer tours to the surrounding mountains. So, keep reading and, in the meantime, you can find more ideas and inspiration on the Visit Trzic website. Happy sledging (or skiing, hiking…)!

© Adele in Slovenia