Day 53 - The Many Views of Lake Bled

I slept like a log in my guesthouse last night - it was a good thing I had set an alarm for breakfast. Fueled for the day, I then made the short walk down to the famous lake for my adventures. It is worth saying at this point that the weather forecast for tomorrow is horrendous (torrential rain and thunderstorms) so I was determined to enjoy as many of Bled’s sights today as possible.

I had decided to walk clockwise around the lake, as it would mean that if I ran out of time, it would be the closer things that I would be leaving for tomorrow. It seemed quite busy as I set off, but it turns out that this was because I had got myself in the middle of what I can only describe as an American saga holiday group! Luckily, I did soon move past them.

All the way round, the views were absolutely stunning. The water is SO blue, as it is glacier melt, and the island in the middle makes it very fairytale-esque.

I had read a bit about some of the viewing points, and decided that I would give Ojstrica a try. It is allegedly the easier of the two over that side of the lake, but it did not feel very easy! To be fair, it was only about a 20 minute climb, but I was definitely warm by the time I reached the top. My fan came in handy! The view alone made it worth it though, and the geocache up there was just an added bonus.

I made my way back down (nice and carefully!) and was very happy to find a cafe at the bottom. I had earnt that cup of tea.

Right by the cafe was a landing point for some of the pletna boats. You can read about these boats here!

It was a lovely journey over to the island, and we had about 45 minutes on the island to explore. My number one priority was an ice-cream, but I am pleased to say that I left plenty of time to also go into the church (and ring the wish bell) and also go up the bell-tower. Because I had not done enough climbing yet….

When we arrived back on the mainland, I was quite annoyed at myself for not bringing my swimming kit out, as it was perfect swimming conditions. I did at least have a paddle before continuing my circuit of the lake.

Interestingly, the circuit of the lake took me past Bled Rowing club, who have a good number of Olympic medalists among their alumnae.

About three quarters of my way around the lake, I was faced with a big decision - climb the hill to the castle, on the basis that the forecast is REALLY bad for tomorrow - or continue at lake level. Despite being a bit tired (and, let’s be honest, in need of some of the facilities of civilisation!), I decided to make the climb.

It was quite tough going, especially as I made it harder for myself by missing a geocache and deciding to go back for it! That was totally worth it though, as it took me to a hidden viewing spot that probably had the best views I saw all day.

I made it to the castle, but decided that I wasn’t going to go in, as it has quite mixed reviews, and it was getting late, and all battery levels were running low! To the point where I have no photo evidence of said castle!

So I headed back down (at least down stairs this time) and went directly back to my guesthouse, figuring that the couple of things I wanted to see nearby could even be done in the rain tomorrow.

My shower and lie on my bed back at the guesthouse were heavenly! I really did have to convince myself to go out to find dinner, a mission I successfully completed at a pub with a nice view over the lake. Just in case I had not seen enough of it today….