Cycling
Soča river cycling trail
The Soča river cycling trail passes the natural and cultural sites of the Central Soča Valley. It mostly runs on local roads and partly on a regional road. We begin in one of the most beautiful places nature has to offer, in Tolmin, where the river Soča meets the river Tolminka. We then take the cycling trail along the lake to Most na Soči, where an interesting archeological site is located. In Most na Soči, we turn to a side road towards Tolminski Lom and cross the river Idrijca. After a short and steep ascent, we arrive to the settlement of Drobočnik, where we turn right and head towards Gorenji Log. The route becomes slightly more demanding at this part, running on a narrow dirt track to Avče, a natural location of the extremely rare Mediterranean fern species called Venus hair fern (Adiantum capillus veneris). This part of the route between Gorenji Log and Avče is not paved and is suitable only for trekking and mountain bikes. It is recommended to descend towards the Vogršček stream on foot instead of on a bike. From Avče, we descend on the local road towards the medieval town of Kanal, drive by the „Lourdes of Kanal“ to the central square with Neptune's fountain and then by the church to the old market town of Kontrad with Gothic house and gallery of Riko Debenjak. Then we cross the famous two-arched stone bridge in Kanal and head towards Gorenja vas. Before the ascent, we can visit the local cheese factory Kanal or the Keramost gallery on the right bank of the Soča river. We continue our way along the settlements of Anhovo and Ložice to Plave. At the crossroads by the bridge over Soča river, we head towards Vrhovlje (Goriška Brda). Shortly after the start of the ascent, the route turns left towards the Soča river. From here, we ride on a properly paved bike path immediately along Soča river. We can admire Sveta Gora and the mastery of the builders of the Bohinj railway - the stone galleries and the Solkan bridge, before arriving to Solkan. The section of the trail from Plave to Solkan is suitable for families, as it runs on the bike path.
We recommend that you get a trekking or a mountain bike for the tour and use protective equipment (helmet, goggles, gloves).
You can take the train to return to the starting point: the available railway stations are Solkan, Plave, Anhovo, Kanal, Avče and Most na Soči.
To restore your strength, visit the local restaurants (Tolmin, Most na Soči, Kanal, Deskle, Ložice, Plave, Solkan).
The trail is also suitable for winter tours. In the summer months, you can take a quick dip in the Soča river to freshen up.
