From Graz to Bled

Ferlach

We again avoided the tolls and drove from Graz to our next stop at Ferlach on the back roads, which meant crossing two mountain passes. Whilst taking a bit longer, and requiring a lot of effort driving around loads of steep hairpin bends, the scenery definitely made it worthwhile, even though the skies were cloudy and grey.

The stellplatz in Ferlach was deserted when we arrived, but we parked up and made ourselves at home. The parking meter was out of order, which meant a free night’s parking – nice one!

We’d originally planned to spend the next night as our final one in Austria at Rosegg. From there we’d return our GoBox at the border before driving trough the Karawanks Tunnel (ooh err!) into Slovenia. However, the Rosegg stellplatz had a grass surface, and given how much it had rained, we didn’t fancy getting the van stuck in the mud, so a change of plan was called for. After looking up the usual online resources and checking the maps, we decided that we’d take the nearer mountain crossing into Slovenia, with our next stop being near Lake Bohinj. This would mean returning our GoBox by post for a refund.

Bled

After a quick shop in Hofer (Aldi’s brand name in Austria) this morning, we were soon winding our way over the mountain pass, and half an hour later we crossed into Slovenia. Forgetting that the sat nav was set to ‘always avoid tolls’, we were taken on some very narrow roads to Bled.

Deciding that we’d return to Bled for a proper visit tomorrow, we drove past the famous lake and onto the aire in Bohinj. When we pulled up there was a British van in the service area, the first one we’ve seen for some time, and it was nice to chat with some fellow Brits. They told us that the water supply wasn’t working which, as we needed water, meant that we’d have to find somewhere else to stop for the night.

Checking our ACSI book, we found that there was a camp site at Lake Bled which would cost €19 – whilst this would be €9 dearer than the aire, we’d be able to fill up with water and have electricity and shower facilities available, and it would be offset by the free night last night, so it was a no-brainer.

Before leaving Bohinj, we drove over to the lake which looked stunning, reminding us of some of the lakes when we were in the Canadian Rockies many years ago.

 

After we’d checked in at Camping Bled, we went for a walk along the shore of the famous lake with the island in the middle. It’s a shame the weather wasn’t better, but there weren’t too many people about and the rain held off.

Stopping at the supermarket on the way back to the van, we bought a bottle of Slovenian Cabernet Sauvignon which we’re quaffing now and it’s delicious, and a bargain at €3.50 for a litre. We’ll be stopping to buy more on our way out tomorrow!

Mike