Walking in Slovenia: The Karavanke. Justi Carey

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СКАЧАТЬ id="ulink_14e17b97-1889-5bd7-88fe-bee31c26412c">Language

      Slovene (or Slovenian) is spoken throughout the country; it is a Slavic language related to Croatian, Polish and Russian. An introduction to pronunciation and useful words and phrases are given in Appendix C, but here are some basic terms which will be useful in following this guide and local maps:

       dom/koča mountain hut

       dolina valley

       planina high alp or open area with pasture and herders’ buildings

       gostilna/gostiščeeating place, usually offering local, home-cooked food

       jezero lake

       sedlo saddle/col/pass

       vrh summit

       pot path or way

       slap waterfall

       gora mountain

       reka river

       potok mountain stream

       gozd forest

       karst/kraslimestone formations (this Slovene word is used to describe limestone landscape the world over)

      The Slovenes are the first to admit that their language is complex and difficult to learn, but they are always pleased when a visitor makes an attempt. However, foreign language learning is considered a high priority in Slovenia – it is impossible to get into any university course without passing Matura (the high-school exit exam) in a foreign language – and most Slovenes will speak at least one foreign language, and many speak four or five. English is the most commonly spoken foreign language, especially among the young, followed by German, Italian and Croatian.

      The mountain greeting Dober dan is frequently heard in the hills and means simply ‘hello’.

Maps

      The walks are almost all covered by three maps:

       Kranjska Gora 1:30,000 (Walks 1–4)

       Karavanke 1:50,000 (Walks 5–20)

       Kamniško-Savinjske Alpe 1:50,000 (Walks 21–22, and part of Walk 23)

      Frustratingly, the first half of Walk 23, Uršlja gora, is on a different map, Pohorje 1:50,000. The maps are published by PZS (Planinska zveza Slovenije – the Slovene Alpine Club) except for Kranjska Gora, which is published by LTO Kranjska Gora.

      The Karavanke website has free maps of the range which can be printed out: go to www.karavanke.eu/en and click on Be Active. The Eastern part has the full route of Uršlja gora on it.

      Note that the sketch maps that accompany the route descriptions in this guide are not intended to be used alone, but to provide orientation to the sheet map.

Waymarking

      The usual waymark in Slovenia is a ‘target’ – a red circle with a white centre, and there are occasional red direction arrows. In places close to the border you will also see border waymarks: a green ring around the red and white target, which blends the Slovene waymark with the Austrian one (a green ring with a red centre). The Austrian red/white/red slash may also be seen. Signposts that give the destination and the time it will take are usually accurate for the average walker. It is the responsibility of the local Alpine Club (PD, Planinsko društvo) to maintain the paths and waymarks, and they are usually repainted every few years. Several of the walks follow paths which are not waymarked, and this is mentioned in the route description where appropriate.

      Combined Austrian and Slovene waymarking

Equipment

      Weather conditions in the mountains are notoriously changeable, and while you may spend your entire holiday in T-shirts and shorts on these mostly south-facing slopes, it is important to carry appropriate equipment and clothing in case of need, especially on a route that takes more than one day. This equipment list is by no means comprehensive but is offered as a guide; obviously you will need to be selective depending on weather conditions and route choice.

      CLOTHING

       Walking boots that are comfortable, support the ankle and have good mid-soles

       Windproof and waterproof jacket

       Sunhat or cap

       Light gloves

       Fleece or warm sweater

       Thermal wicking shirts and T-shirts

       Long trousers (not jeans) – the kind with zip-off legs to convert them to shorts are particularly useful

       Loop-stitched socks

      Miscellaneous equipment

       Comfortable roomy rucksack

       Bivvy bag for emergencies

       Water bottle (essential)

       Trekking poles (essential once you have tried them!)

       Headtorch and batteries

       Sunglasses/suncream/lipsalve (essential – limestone reflects like snow)

       First aid kit

       Map and compass (GPS if you have it)

       Whistle

       Guidebook

       Camera

       Binoculars

       Passport or identity card

       Moist tissues/wet wipes – great if staying in a hut overnight

Using this guide

      The walks in this book are of differing standards of difficulty, but most should be accessible to any reasonably fit person with mountain walking experience. Some have sections of scrambling or via ferrata, and this is mentioned in the text where appropriate. Consider the length, grade and description of your chosen walk before setting out.

      Each walk starts with a short introduction, giving the highlights and ‘feel’ of the route, and an information box with the start and finish points, distance, grade and height gained and lost, along with an estimation of how long it will take to complete.

      Walk information

      The distance is given in kilometres and is taken from the relevant sheet map, taking no account of the extra distance walked on steep terrain. Distance becomes less useful in mountain country; on difficult ground it could take many hours to cover a small number of kilometres. Consider the distances in conjunction with the time given in the information box.

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