Welcome to Slovenia! So many different flowers to see on this varied walk through light-dappled forest, up to a 2000m peak with breathtaking views and down through the flower dotted meadows of a summer pasture.

We exited the bus into a spruce forest on the Pokljuka plateau, 880m higher than our 7am start point. This shouldn’t have been a surprise as Slovenia is the third most forested European Union country after Finland and Sweden, however as a Brit wandering around in woodland at the same kind of height as the top of Ben Nevis always feels discombobulating. The light dappled understory was enticing but the day was only going to get hotter so we needed to get on with ascending Viševnik.

Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) still breed on the Pokljuka plateau with its long established forests and bilberry undergrowth. Designated quiet zones have been set up as these birds are very sensitive to noise disturbance. So much so in fact that monitoring numbers is done by listening for calls rather than by sightings.

Footpaths in Slovenia don’t dilly-dally around. If you’re going up a mountain, you’re going to go straight up it. Luckily the flora was spectacularly distracting.

After leaving the woodland the path climbs up an open grassy gully. We managed to sneak into a little bit of shade and have a snack before continuing through the flowers.

After a rising traverse through dwarf pine you emerge onto rocky grassland and flower-filled south facing slopes. The bottom section of the summit ridgeline then begins to look enticingly close.

We gained the ridgeline and after following the narrow path below a rocky crest for about 100m it suddenly swings right to take you to the 2050m summit of Viševnik. Huge views open westwards towards the limestone moonscape of Triglav and below southwestwards towards the deep blue Lake Bohinj. A couple of Alpine Chough joined us, using the stiff breeze to finesse their acrobatics.

Triglav (2864m) was first climbed in 1778. It is the highest point in Slovenia and the old Yugoslavia. To climb Triglav from the south is is best to allow two days, you will also need a helmet, harness and via ferrata kit. There is a saying that you’re not a true Slovenian until you’ve summited Triglav.

Descending the ridgeline I noticed a couple of flower species I’d not photographed before. The pure white Eastern Cinquefoil and, most excitingly, the startling blue of the Triglav Gentian (Gentiana verna tergestina).

At a little shack near where we started the walk we cajoled a sunbathing barista into making us a coffee. Our route to a lower bus stop weaved down through tricky to follow forest paths to a summer pasture with farmhouses and a pretty cafe and onto the broad track of the Juliana Trail.

Please remember that outdoor activities like walking come with inherent risks. The author has endeavoured to make the information as accurate as possible at the time of writing but the decision to undertake the walk is entirely at your own risk. No responsibility can be accepted for any kind of physical injury, loss or damage to you or your property.

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