24 Photos
Deep into the Julian Alps | Veliko Ridge & Seven Lakes Valley
Two days in the Triglav National Park featuring one hell of a ridge-line 'Veliko Špičje', seven pristine alpine lakes, and an overnight stay in the 'Zasavska koča na Prehodavcih' mountain hut. This was a high-alpine, technically-difficult route that required serious stamina and scrambling. But the reward was well worth the effort: views of Mt Triglav, Soça valley, and all the way into Austria.
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Hike
Blato to Zasavska koča na Prehodavcih via Veliko Špičje Ridge
Planina Blato to the Triglav Lakes Hut
The day begins gently, (savour it!) by meandering through mountain pastures, ancient shepherds huts, shady forests and the first lake, soundtracked by the gentle ringing of cowbells in the distance. This section looks and feels a little like a fairytale. We're on a slow incline and break out of the trees an hour or two into the route, and pass the next three lakes of the set!
In this section, you'll pass two mountain huts serving up drinks, snacks, vibes, and a drinking water fountain to fill up flasks. In August, the heat of the day was spicy so these pitstops were welcome.
Up we go: Veliko Špičje Summit
We peel off the seven lakes path and enter a very low-trafficked trail toward the peaks. The incline gets serious and doesn't stop until we reach the top. The environment changes rapidly as we gain altitude and we're treated to a series of wildflower species, then at the pointy end it's just limestone scree. At one point it gets too steep for poles and we switch to fixed-cabling, then switch to scrambling
Veliko Špičje Summit
Unbridled joy at the summit with views of the entire Julian alps. Triglav, Soca, even Austria in the distance. We couldn't stay for long as we had a fair way to go and the light was starting to drop and an approaching storm was quickly closing in.
Ridgeline: Veliko Špičje -> Zasavska koča na Prehodavcih Hut
What came next though was the coolest section of trail I've ever done. We traversed across the ridge along very narrow passages and rocky scree to finally make it to our hut for the night.
Arriving at the hut, we were greeted by people from all walks of life. A Slovenian family of four, older Spanish hikers playing cards and sketching the mountains, two younger girls equipped in the latest gorpcore, and a friendly American who misjudged the distance and came in well after dark.
The hut provided everything we needed. Food proved to be hearty and we even managed to snag a second helping at the close of the kitchen. Despite sleeping over 40 in one room, the dormitory was quiet, perhaps due to the hike being midweek. Whilst water was not available on site, a 15 minute walk to a nearby lake revealed a freezing mountain stream that doubled as an icy evening shower.
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Zasavska koča na Prehodavcih to Blato via the Seven Lakes Valley
Day Two
Day two was all about the descent. With amazing views all through the morning, we saw a different side of the valley and hugged the edge of Mt Triglav. We walked past the kidney lake we'd seen from high up yesterday. Eventually the trail linked back up to the familiar lush green path.
After the thrills of our ridgeline experience the previous day, our return journey was made sweeter by blue skies and yelping marmots. Spending more time at the smaller alpine villages, we trundled down the hill back towards the bus stop.
Useful info
- Transport: Take the public bus to the trailhead as the tollgate is about £20 per day. The bus timetables are sparse so plan in advance. Trailhead
- Hut: Book the hut in advance: https://www.alpsonline.org/reservation/calendar?hut_id=358
- Gear: we experienced all weather on this walk in mid August. Hot sun, cool evenings, light rain, wind and even some lightning.
- Surrounds: Lake Bohinj is a great area to base yourself for this walk and for a swim at the end.