Product Description

This Cicerone guidebook describes over 60 walks in the Julian Alps of unspoilt Slovenia. The walks are organized around five bases – Kranjska Gora, Bovec, Kobarid, Bled and Bohinj. The routes in the Julian Alps range from easy valley walks and rougher forest trails to high-mountain protected routes and multi-day treks. Ideal for the following seasons: Mid-June to end September is ideal: weather is at its best (but beware thunderstorms) and mountain huts are likely to be open.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13537 in Books
• Brand: Cicerone
• Published on: 2007-06-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Vinyl Bound
• 309 pages

About the Author
Roy Clark and Justi Carey started visiting the British mountains in their teens, a discovery which shaped their whole lives. Initial rock-climbing and walking in north Wales and the Lake District eventually prompted a move to the Scottish Highlands, with its remoter hills and potential for winter climbing. Their passion for the outdoors has led to travels across the world, including trips to Iceland, North America, Jordan and New Zealand, and their continuing interest in being 'out there' has resulted in an enthusiasm for downhill and cross-country skiing, canoeing, cycle-touring, and even rollerblading! In 2002 they moved to Slovenia in search of new challenges, and are currently living in the heart of the Julian Alps, where they are happily exploring this new area and culture.

Customer Reviews

Highly Recommended
This book is an excellent companion for walkers of all standards who are visiting NW Sloveinia. It describes over sixty routes in the Julian Alps, their length and difficulty varying from flat lakeside and valley walks of a couple of hours' duration to two-day assaults on Mount Triglav. All the walks are helpfully graded according to difficulty from 1 (easy) to 4 (only for the fit, experienced and well-equipped); the authors also state the distance covered, the height difference between the start and end points (though disregarding the ups and downs in between) and a useful estimate of the time the walk will take.

A lot of walking has clearly gone into the production of this book, and its greatest strength is its accuracy. Its newness (2005) and detail mean that the directions it gives for the route match up exactly to the signs and landmarks on the way, and the estimates of time ("after 10 minutes you will reach...") are accurate. On the five walks that we undertook we never got lost following the instructions and very rarely had to stop to work out where we were meant to go next. There are also good diagrammatic maps which give an overview of each walk. Nonetheless the authors also strongly advise taking a map of one's own (they suggest a map, or maps, for each walk), and anyone who wanted to know more than basic detail of the topography, or to make their own additions to the suggested routes, would struggle with just the book.

The walks in the book are organised around five centres: Krajnska Gora, Bovec, Kobarid, Bled and Bohinj. This facilitates planning -- likewise the task of finding a Plan B should the cloud descend. The starting point for each walk is clearly described, as are interesting features along the way. The authors have taken care to find interesting paths for their readers to follow, directing the walks away from over-beaten and featureless tracks such as roads and ski slopes and trying, where possible, to provide a return leg different from the outward route.

The book's layout is clear and it is beautifully illustrated: not for nothing do the authors say that photographs of the Julian Alps can be bought from their website! There is an introductory section on Slovenia and the Alps in general and on walking there in particular, which is a good complement to a more general guidebook. It is practically presented in a plastic cover and -- given its extensive contents -- it is of a size and weight which make it easy to carry.

Congratulations and thanks to the authors: this book is highly recommended for anyone who plans to walk in the Julian Alps!

Best guidebook ever used
This book does what it says, easy to carry and read whilst walking, the knowledge of the area is great, even down to the finest details, it was impossible to get lost or take a wrong turning, the research was well done, even the locals talk of this book, it was a great help on holiday in the area.

Forget Lonely Planet et al -get this
The overblown and bitter American aftertaste ( bit like a Starbucks in fact ) of the Lonely Planet "guide" can be expunged from your memory by buying this book.

I agree completely with Stefan though a second edition would be nice lads as the start of most walks in Kranjska Gora have been overtaken with new buildings next to the path ( sadly the way of the village as a whole in the last 15 years ) However , the book remains definitely authoritive with the descriptions for the Bled walks being stunningly accurate and, as much to the point , very well chosen.

The lads have written a new tome called Trekking in Slovenia also for fitter readers!