For this holiday near Lake Bohinj in Slovenia we mostly flew from Stansted with Easyjet, with a couple of women flying from Manchester, one coming from the US, and another coming from France!

We disembarked in brilliant sunshine and much warmer weather than normal for June.

Our transfer met us at Ljubljana Airport and we drove for an hour to Pension Bohinj on the outskirts of St. Fuzina - a lovely place much loved for its plentiful single ensuite rooms!

We settled in and had a drink in the garden before dinner at the Pension.

Later, most of the group wandered down to a bar near the foot of the lake for a nightcap and to get their bearings.

After breakfast we set off on our first day's walk in two groups, starting in the same direction towards Pec - a lookout point over the lake.

Lorraine and the Intermediate walk got there first, while the rest of us - the Low Intermediate walk - took our time and arrived shortly before they ended their break.

We dallied there enjoying the sunny view out over Lake Bohinj - the largest lake in Slovenia with mountains all around.

Our route now took us a little further up the hill before we turned downhill towards the sunlit valley.

We passed through some beautiful meadows full of flowers which hadn't yet been cut for hay - including lots of different kinds of orchids.

It was warm away from the trees, and we were glad to reach the inn at Stredna Vas village refreshment!

While some were tempted to buy a light lunch here, the rest of us ate our sandwiches in a shady spot beside the church.

Our route now took us back along the valley, passing many traditional farms, barns, and hay racks.

The hay cutting was in full swing - often a family affair - with children sometimes helping rake up the dry grass.

We stopped to visit the little agricultural museum in Stara Fuzina where all the explanations have now been translated into excellent English.

Although some villages have stopped the practice of taking cows up the higher planina (meadows), there are still a few that carry on the tradition.

Lorraine's Intermediate walk had meanwhile continued up to the summit of Rudnica - the hill in the centre of the valley.

It was good to be climbing the hill mostly in the shade of the trees, though they also passed through small meadows full of flowers...

At one point the women at the front spotted a chamois on the path ahead who stared at them before disappearing into the woods.

They reached the summit in good time and admired the views from the southerly viewpoint before signing their names in the summit book.

Just back from the summit they enjoyed elevenses in a beautiful meadow - hoping that the little hut there would be serving refreshments on a Sunday, but alas not this year!

Down down down they headed, stopping for lunch in a lower meadow only to find themselves surrounded by wild strawberries.

Now they followed the route of the low intermediate group, walking up through the valley to Stredna Vas for a drink at the inn, then returning down through Studor back to Stara Fuzina.

That evening we went out to eat in Ribcev Laz, walking down to the bridge where we could see masses of trout and lake char swimming in the current below. An amazing sight.

Several women tried the Char that evening at the restaurant.

Today we woke to clear blue skies again - another hot day.

Lorraine's Intermediate walk started with a taxi ride to the Vogel cable car which they took up 1000m to the Vogel ski area.

From here they had stunning views down over the lake and across the Julian Alps beyond.

Their goal today was Mount Sija which sits above the ski area.

To get there they first descended into a neighbouring valley which they then followed up to the Vogel ridge.

There were lots of alpine flowers everywhere - gentian, saxifrage, anenomes.

Up up up they went till finally they reached the ridge.

Clouds had been massing, and though they still had good views of the Julian Alps, their views to the south from the ridge were hazy.

Now they turned east along the ridge, scrambling up a relatively easy scramble towards Sija.

They contoured around the flank of the mountain along a superb balcony path.

The last steep path to the summit gave them views along the ridge to the east just as cloud enveloped them.

Just down from the summit they had views again, and they made their way down a small path to a lower part of the ski area.

The last of the descent was all on ski runs - never very pleasant, especially when they have been recently bulldozed.

However it was a great day - finishing with a drink at the refuge, a cable car ride down, a swim in the lake, then catching the last boat along the lake back to Ribcev Laz!

My Low Intermediate walk had been designed to beat the sun as much as possible.

We started with a boat trip up Lake Bohinj. It was a beautiful morning and the lake was very still.

From the head of the lake we also took the cable car up to Vogel ski area.

It gave us a view over the whole lake and across to the Julian Alps.

We could see Triglav - Slovenia's highest mountain - proudly sillhouetted against the gathering cloud.

We had a drink here at the refuge, then returned to the valley to walk around the head of the lake to a place to swim - and find shade for lunch.

The water was cold and refreshing and some stayed in for quite a while!

After lunch we walked back along the lake, largely through the trees. We saw several new flowers.

When the path emerged into the sun again we soon were hot enough to another swim or paddle.

Back at the foot of the lake we bought ice creams but did not tarry long, looking forward to another refreshing shower at the pension!

It was definitely a hot day - and hotter than we've experienced her before.

That night we ate at the pension again, and later some women headed down to the bar at the lake for a night cap while others were ready for an early night.

Another beautiful day dawned, and today we had a coach to Bled to explore the two lovely gorges nearby.

Unfortunately Lorraine's Intermediate dry gorge - Potluka - had suffered a mishap sometime since we last walked it.

A huge inundation had swept away the boardwalk needed to reach the higher level, and had possibly blocked the 'eye of the needle' which you normally pass through from the boardwalk.

Instead they explored the other striking feature of this gorge - a cave with an upper exit which brings you out onto a path above.

After a good exploration and a wait for the nearby public bus, they arrived in Bled for the afternoon.

The Low Intermediate walk had meanwhile been to walk to the Vintgar Gorge - a wet gorge filled with the Vintgar River.

We climbed through the village of Zasip to the old church of St. Katerina, then descended through the beech woods to the waterfall at the bottom of the gorge.

It was stupendous as there was plenty of water in the gorge from all the rain of the previous 3 weeks.

It was delightfully cool as we walked up beside the river. We saw a mother dipper teaching her fledgling how to find food at the water's edge, occasionally dipping into the fast flow of water.

Then we reached the boardwalk where there is no room for a path - an incredible structure that crosses and re-crosses the gorge.

At the far end we stopped for a break and an ice cream for some, then emerged into the sunshine to walk back to Bled.

Our route took us through the village of Podhom, crossing the railway line, then descending through the fields.

In Bled we ate our lunch by the lake, sitting on the bank under a tree with our feet in the water. A lovely spot.

Some women then swam at the swimming area, while most of the rest hired a gondola to the island in the middle of the lake to visit the church there. A wedding was in progress.

Back on the shore, I had met up with Lorraine's group and we enjoyed a drink at a cafe beside the lake - our meeting up place for later. Others shopped and explored Bled.

Our bus collected us at 5.30pm to take us back to Bohinj.

That evening we were to eat out and had chosen the nearby Triglav hotel. The food was good and varied.

Today, guess what? It was another beautiful day! We really are being so lucky with the weather.

Lorraine and I swapped groups for the rest of the holiday, and I took the Intermediate walk up to the ridge above Soriska planina on the far side of the valley - after a minibus ride to the planina.

We had set off early to be ahead of the warmth of the day, and made our way up to the ridge.

There were tons of flowers everywhere, and some we hadn't seen before. This section of the ridge is noted for its flowers...

On reaching the ridge we took a short break to enjoy the view to the south which was less hazy than on the Sija day. We then continued along a gently ascending path along to one side of the ridge.

Here we spotted alpine irises, lilies, and other alpines, and saw evidence of marmotte, chamoix, and fox on the track.

Our route took us to the summit of Mozic where there is evidence that this was once the Italian frontier.

After a break here, we started down to the saddle with Kobla, zigzagging 400m down through beech forest - and occasionally through small meadows brimming with flowers.

Near the saddle we were invited to stop for a drink - or to rest our feet at a little hut in the woods, where 2 guys had a fire burning. It turned out to be a converted Italian bunker.

We learnt quite a bit about what happened during Slovenia's 10 day war of independence from Yugoslavia, and signed their visitor's book before leaving!

Everyone wanted to include Kobla in our day, so we started up through the forest towards this 2nd summit.

Emerging above the treeline, we had the last 150m of steep ascent without shade - the hot sun relieved only by the small breeze.

However, the view of Crna Prst - the next mountain along the ridge - made the effort worthwhile.

We had a stunning view of this much loved giant, with its twin ridges angling down towards us.

Our long 'down' took us through beech forest for much of the way, and we took it carefully due to the beech leaves over the stones. At one point there was an oportunity for head dunking!

One of the group was suffering with her knee, and I called our driver for a pick up from one of the ski lifts above Boh. Bistrice.

However I mistook where the ski lift was, and inflicted some gratuitous 'up & down' on the group before we made the meet up point. Hopefully it didn't spoil what had been a magic day!

Lorraine's Low Intermediate walk had meantime started from Boh. Bistrice, and traced a route through the woods to the Izvir Bistrice (an important spring).

But first, those who had been dropped off by one of the Intermediate minibuses had a chance for a cup of coffee in Boh. Bistrice!

Continuing along the river they came to a lovely spot for a break where the cool air off the river made it possible to sit comfortably in the sun - with feet in the water.

Crossing the river on a narrow pedestrian bridge, they headed along the river on the other side to a wonderful waterfall.

There was then a short sharp up through the woods which brought them out into some beautiful meadows - with a view of the Julian Alps to the north.

Half way down through the meadows they stopped for lunch at a shady spot.

They then continued on down to the Sava Bohinska (river) to cross near the village of Brod and walk back along the other side.

There was some head dunking and hat filling from the river to cope with a stretch without shade.

Slovenia is experiencing an unexpected heatwave at the moment, and today was probably our hottest day.

Their path finished through the woods beside the river, emerging right near the pension.

Several of the group collected swimming gear and headed straight for the lake for a swim!

That evening we ate at the Pension again, then most headed to Ribcev Laz for a nightcap beside the lake.

For pretty much the first day we had a cloudy start today - and were delighted at the thought of cooler walking!

Today was our biggest day, starting with minibuses driving us 500m up the Vogar hillside, then walking from there to Koca na Planina pri Jezeru - and in some cases beyond.

This is a refuge in a planina beside a lake. There is no inflow or outflow stream to this lake - it's one of the fascinating features of this limestone (karst) landscape.

Our route took us largely through forest, and when the cloud thinned we were glad of the shade.

Up up up we went - 400m in total, largely on an ancient stone-laid track which the cow herders have used for centuries to take their cows to the higher planina.

At first we walked through beech woods, then we reached firs and larches.

The Intermediate group left arrows made of small branches for the Low Intermediate group to find, since Lorraine had not been this way before.

They made good time, though when a crucial arrow was missed at a junction with a logging track, it became their turn for an adventurous detour uphill until the error became obvious.

The landscape became steadily more Karst-featured as we ascended towards the planina - with more and more hollows, bits of limestone pavement, and a carpet of globe flowers in between.

Finally we emerged into the planina - a truely welcome sight!

This planina is surrounded by low forested hills and crags, but in places you can see the higher mountains beyond. It is a truly beautiful place.

After a cup of mountain tea at the refuge, the Intermediate walk continued to the next planina higher up - called Visevnik (pronounced Vishiunik).

Here you gain a stunning view of the eastern Julian Alps - though not Triglav - and can stop for another drink at the tiniest of refuges built in an old planina shack.

Naturally we stopped for refreshment here before retracing our steps to Planina pri Jezeru.

The Low Intermediate group had arrived in our absence, and we all tucked into delicious bean and barley soup, or other offerings from the planina.

Before leaving we were told that the cows were excected in the evening, climbing the track from Blato planina below after 6pm when the day got cooler. We were sorry to miss them.

We made our way back down the hillside in two groups - faster downhill, and slower downhill.

Where the track ended we used the access road to descend to the valley - a long winding, easy to walk track, sometimes on tarmac, other times on gravel.

We were glad of a chance to cool our feet where the river came near to the road. The water was icy - no one took a dip!

We stopped for a cold beer in Stara Fuzina on our way back to the pension, glad that we'd be eating in that evening. It had been a long but beautiful day!

Our last walk too us up the Mostnica Gorge, and both groups walked largely together.

This is a stunning wet gorge where the river has cut a deep and narrow watercarved channel.

We reached it through the meadows above Stara Fuzina where the cows grazed. We saw two lovely calves there.

Bridges crossed and recrossed the gorge in several places, and there were other viewpoints along the bank where we could look down deeply to the river below.

At one point the bank was wider and the river was at path level with stunning pools and water flowing from one beautiful pool to another.

Then the gorge sides rose again and we found ourselves far above it again.

A little further on our path headed up the hillside to the road above, and we emerged by a refuge - where needless to say we stopped for refreshment.

Continuing on, the valley now widened into a planina dotted with huts. The meadows were full of flowers at their peak.

In other places the hay was cut. We saw a woman raking her cut hay to turn it over.

At the head of the valley we reached the waterfall where the river emerged from the hillside. Although it was another warm day, no one swam in the pool below it!

Retracing our steps a fraction, we stopped at another refuge looking out over the planina, and either ate our packed lunches, or indulged in soup or apple strudel.

We then returned down a different path back to the gorge, stopping at a glorious pool with a curved rock arch like an elephants trunk.

Here one woman took the plunge and swam in the cold water. And it was cold! She needed a loan of extra fleeces when she got out.

It started to rain for the first time as we got back to the pension - a few big fat drops, then later a longer shower.

A lively conversation could be heard from the pension's drying barn in the garden as women gathered there to chat!

That evening we went out to eat at the hotel in Ribcev Laz. Diane was seen feeding the ducks on the lake before the meal.

Later, as usual, we finished with a night cap or coffee at the little open air bar near the bridge.

Our last morning was spent variously - shopping in the Saturday market at Ribcev Laz, paddling in canoes on the lake, or lazing and chatting at the bar beside the lake.

Some women also swam. It was another beautiful morning, and we watched the paragliders circling on thermals off Vogar.

Then it was time to head to the airport where we said goodbye to Lorraine who was staying on for a few days.

Later there were lots more hugs beside the carrousel back at Stansted before we each headed for home. A lovely holiday and a great group!