Wed 5 April 8° Bohinjska Bistrica, Lake Bled, Slovinia

Low cloud shrouded the mountains this morning, quite cool after a rainy night, but stopped now. Watched train pull in and cars drive off. The train goes through the mountain to Italy, to save driving over the Julian Alps.  Great idea, wonder if they take Motorhomes? Went into the info office, Daria was very helpful, excellent English, advised us to take the train as road very narrow and very winding not good. Get train to Most na Soci and then drive into Italy from there €20.60 for van and driver plus €2.60 per extra person. Leave at 9am or 4.50pm.

We drove to Bled Castle, another very steep climb up. Then to Camp Bled car park €10 all day and €10 overnight, great spot right on the lake. The sun came out for our walk up Ojstrica 611m to get aerial shot of the island in lake Bled as requested by Elliot. Another goat track,  very steep, worse than yesterday and to top it off a massive rock to climb before you got to the top for the view. I got lots of encouragement from young  English girls coming down and from a group of 3 English women who must have been early 50's.

Clinging to the side of the rock face, I almost stopped, but grandad Ian was in my ear, slowly, slowly catch the monkey and Andrew, one step at a time, I gave myself a good taking to and decided I couldn't stop now so close to the top, Tony said not far now, you can do it, so on hands and knees I clambered up, rock after rock. Amazingly I actually did it. Tony was already up there catching his breath and chatting to 3 English lads on school break.

Elliot Steel, thank you for the suggestion to come to Lake Bled and asking for this photo....it was breathtaking...physically as well haha. We took heaps of pics just as you asked.

After quite a rest the lads took our photo for us and we took one for them, we gathered ourselves for the down hill. Strangely and with much relief it was actually easier going down. Clinging on to the rock face again but with aid of an umbrella someone had left up there, I was able to steady myself back down to the rocky path. Here I retrieved by trusty tree branch that had got me to the rock and at the end of the path, I left the sturdy helper under the sign for the next intrepid climber.

Worth it definately,  we survived the most challenging thing we have done, Rock climbing up a cliff to get 'the photo' as requested by Elliot. The achievement very satisfying,  even though I can hardly believe we did it. For Tony he likened it to his first attempt at scuba diving in Cairns 25 years earlier. Talk about out of your comfort zone.

Back to Bessie for lunch and a well earned rest, great spot on the lake, we could stay the night, but decided to go back to Lake Bohinj then stay again at railway station to get the train at 9am to Italy.

 

Got diesel  €1.15 ltr got €40  34.7ltrs. Got back 4.45pm to see the car train, asked about our motorhome he said 3m max height, we are 3.10......too high for the tunnel. The heavens opened short sharp downpour,  boy were we lucky with sunny spell for our climb.