THE ROUTE TO STRAŽA
Length
14.4
Length 14.4 km
Time needed
01:30
Time needed 01:30
Največja strmina vzpona[%]
6
Greatest slope of the ascent: 6 %
Greatest slope of the descent: 5 %
Average slope of the ascent: 6 %
Length of ascents above 5%: 2.00 km
The lowest point of the route: 454 m
The highest point of the route: 305 m
Difference in altitude: 309 m
Poraba kalorij
3052
Consumption of energy for men: 3052 kJ (729 kcal)
Consumption of energy for women: 2487 kJ (594 kcal)
Difficulty
Difficulty: Demanding
Quality of the surface
Quality of the surface: Mixture
Type of bike: Trek bike
Short description

Demanding, undulating, diverse and interesting cycling route, suitable for afternoon recreation or whole-day cycling trip with some stops.
The route runs along less busy asphalt and macadam roads and cart track; it is still marked as demanding due to two steep ascents and it's recommended that you climb them on foot.You'll cycle the first part of the route along the less busy roads amid villages and fields on the plain along the Sava River and meet various water birds and plants on the way, while the second part introduces the slopes of the Polhov Gradec Hills and two other hills. The first ascent is to the woody Staneški hrib Hill and the second to the observational Golo Brdo Hill. You'll descend down the pleasant road back to Medvode. With some luck and patience you can see some of the forest animals on the way, such as deer, squirrel, fox, rabbit and other game animals which often walk these forests and fields.
The views of the surrounding hills and mountains over the fields are wonderful, while there are also numerous opportunities along the route for stopping in the countryside, having a snack in an inn and taking a look at cultural and historical landmarks.

Course

Medvode-Verje - Zgornje Pirniče – Vikrče – Medno – Stanežiče - Stanežiški hrib – Bormes – Golo Brdo – Seničica – Medvode

Hitting the road from Medvode
The starting point of the route is the car park in front of the library and the town hall of Medvode. Sit on the bike and drive past the shopping centre and just after it (and before the underpass below Gorenjska Road) turn right to Pirniče. Cycle past the Donit factory and the famous chimney with its red and white stripes like a lighthouse, which will show you where Medvode is even from a great distance. The path leads past Medvode Hydroelectric Power Plant , runs across the Sava Bridge and after a short slope you will ascend to the upper Sava terrace where villages of Verje, Zgornje and Spodnje Pirniče are located at the edge of the terrace in the direction of Šmarna gora Hill. On the road which has a few speed bumps, you will first get to Zgornje Pirniče, past the Church of St. Thomas , , and then stick to the right at Mihovec Inn , where you will turn off the main road straight between the houses to the narrow road that turns down the slope towards the fields. Turn right at the end of the road at the crossroads and then immediately to the left to the macadam road that runs across the fields below the slope. After about one hundred metres turn right at the houses across the fields towards the Sava River.

Is the spring at Straža warm or cold?
Follow the field path which turns left before the bushes. You'll soon arrive to the forest where the spring of the Straža River , and a natural river bathing area are located. The water which flows from the pipe at the spring, is probably drinkable, because the locals pour it in bottles for home use. Is the water at the hot spring really warm? It depends on the season of the year and one's own evaluation. The water coming to the surface has approximately 19 degrees Celsius. A spring like this could be technically called hypothermal, somewhat lukewarm, as the water will appear cold in the summer and warm in the winter.
Continue from the bathing area along the winding cart track among fields towards Vikrče where you approach the Sava River which foams over the rapids. A few decades ago, a dam was built between Medno and Vikrče on the Sava River so that the water ran the old mill. There is no mill today, and only the rapids remained from the dam.

A wooden (almost fairytale-like) bridge
The asphalt road runs through the village where you turn right at the first crossroads, and then the road turns left. When there is a space between houses on the right towards the Sava, a branching to the right appears, towards a wooden suspension bridge that will take you over the Sava River to Medno.
As you cycle over the bridge ,, you get a feeling of going back some centuries when the wood was still the main construction material. Be careful, though, as the bridge is narrow and you cannot safely avoid other people if you are on a bike. It is best to step off the bike while on the bridge and observe how that interesting bridge was constructed.
Go uphill on the other side of the bridge and then left to the asphalt road parallel with the Sava River. Drive past the settlement where the road becomes macadam again and winds through the fields ,. After a kilometre of cycling, you'll arrive to the roadside forest where you turn right at the crossroads, then continue up the slope and through the underpass under the railroad and road.
From the wooden bridge onward, you could count plains and terraces which the Sava River created throughout millennia of flooding, depositing and bed changing. The lowest terrace is just next to the Sava River and the houses are on the other side of the settlement which you have just passed. You reach the third terrace through both underpasses at the gravel cave below Stanežiče . The asphalt road is there and you turn left up the slope to the fourth terrace where a village is located.
Turn right at the crossroads above the slope to the narrow asphalt road that leads through the village towards the hill. The road has some speed bumps, however, you'll see the beautifully renovated Baroque Church of St. Jacob on the left.

Over the hill to Brdo
The road leads to the fire station where you turn right , and after some tens of metres turn left at the crossroads and up the slope. When you reach the forest, the asphalt road becomes a cart track where you start ascending up the slope. If you have company, make a game out of it and compete who will be the first one to reach the top without stepping off the bike. Only physically well prepared cyclists reach the top, others will, sooner or later, continue on foot and push their bikes for those tens of metres to the cross at the saddle of Staneški hrib Hill.
What goes up, must come down too - at least the forest paths follows that principle as it gently descends on the other side to Bormes. You'll have to break a lot so you won't speed downhill too much. You'll come out of the forest below the hill at Bormes Tourist Farm where you'll be properly served if you are hungry.
The road from Bormes on is asphalt for some time and leads up a little. This is the Polhov Gradec Hills and the plains are in scarcity there. As you reach the crossroads with a wider road, turn left and soon after right and up the hill towards Slavko's Hut. There is a next chance for some refreshments, before continuing up the hill where the asphalt road becomes macadam again and you have to paddle hard up the hill . This is, however, a different kind of hill than that of Staneški hrib Hill where you had to cycle hard, namely, you are headed to Brdo now, to Golo Brdo more precisely . Where Brdo (Hill) got its name is completely clear already halfway up the slope, while you realise where the name Golo (Bleak) came from after you've reached the top. There is no forest at the top, but the village with meadows and a beautiful view in all directions . If you haven't stopped yet, you'll most certainly do it now and take a look around.

Only down and to Medvode
You are at the highest point of this route and the asphalt road will from now on lead you mostly downhill, but be careful, because the fast ride could be dangerous as some turns are quite sharp. In Seničica, you reach the valley where you turn left at the crossroads and follow the main road through the village and onwards. Cycle to the plain below the village and past the renowned Napoleon's Bridge from 1666. The road turns left towards the railroad where you cycle until the level crossing before Preska. Turn right there (only if the gates are up, of course), and just before the crossroads with Gorenjska Road turn left to the macadam road . Cycling on the busy Gorenjska Road is forbidden, so the cycle lane runs on the parallel macadam road along the railroad.
Turn right after tennis courts and continue straightforward to the pedestrian road crossing over Gorenjska Road to Seškova Road, then left past the police station, an inn, a pizza restaurant and towards the bridge over the Sora River. Only one right turn over the bridge and you reach the car park in front of Medvode town hall and library where you started your trip. You can put away your bicycle and take a relaxing walk along the Sora River, past the library , and take a look at another natural landmark of Medvode. Some tens of metres ahead is the confluence of the Sora and Sava rivers . Medvode got its name after the position between the rivers.
At the end of your trip in Medvode, numerous cafes and restaurants await for you to recharge your batteries.

Medvode Hydroelectric Power Plant and bronze axe
Medvode Hydroelectric Power Plant was built in 1953 and its dam can be seen on the left from the bridge at Verje. Because of the impoundment the water level of the Sava River rose by more than 20 m and thus Zbiljsko jezero Lake was created which is not as old as it may have seemed. The power of the power plant is 26 MW, produced by two Kaplan turbines.
When the dam for the power plant was being built, a bronze tube axe was found there indicating that the area was populated already in the Bronze Age. Important routes ran here between (today's) Primorska and Gorenjska regions in the Roman period.

Church of St. Thomas in Zg. Pirniče
The Church of St. Thomas is a Gothic church which was thoroughly rebuilt in the middle of the 17th century. Next to it is a modern parish Church of the Assumption of Mary, decorated with statues of apostles, a work of the local artist Brigita Juvan.

Straža hot spring
Straža hot spring used to be the place where local women washed their laundry. The temperature varies between 19 and 21 degrees Celsius. In cooperation with Pirniče fire fighters, the members of Pirniče Tourist Society arranged the spring (replaced the stones, removed algae, tidied the vicinity, etc.) so that it is suitable for bathing (especially for children).

The Sava River
Before glaciations, the predecessor of the Sava River flowed more northward in the west-east direction. Later, it made its way between Šmarna gora Hill and Rašica, and then moved its bed once again to the area between the Polhov Gradec Hills and Grmada where the Sava River still flows today. It was carrying numerous alluvium, gravel and clay. During the interglacial periods, the Sava River contained much more water than today and it alternately deepened and deposited its riverbed. Thus the riverbed was shifting. Even today the terraces with declivities can be seen. Declivities are slopes between terraces mostly overgrown with trees and bushes.

Church of St. Jacob in Stanežiče
The church was built in Baroque style. The bell tower was built in 1681, octagonal nave and square presbytery were built in 1721 and the narthex in 1749. The nave vault is bath-shaped, the one in presbytery is cross-shaped and the interior walls are richly divided with lesenes and garlands. The high altar is a classicistic work of Matevž Tomec from 1856, while the four side-altars are designed in the Baroque tradition. The altars of the Holy Cross and St. Florian date back to 1739, while the altars of St. Peregrine and St. Lucia were renovated in 1934.

Napoleon's Bridge
This is an interesting stone bridge over the Mavelščica Stream below Seničica towards Medno motel. The bridge was built in 1666 (the year engraved in the bridge) and was then one of the most important transport facilities on the way from Ljubljana to Upper Carniola. Napoleon himself had nothing to do with the construction of the bridge, as it was built at least a century before he was born, but acquired such a name later, because Napoleon's army marched over it.

4 mačke Café, Medvode
The café located just by the Sora River offers a wide range of desserts, drinks and ice cream.

Harlekin/Pr' Kral Inn Pizza Restaurant and Spaghetteria, Verje
You will be served home-made Slovenian dishes, Italian cuisine, pizzas and fish in a home-like atmosphere.

Mihovec Inn, Zgornje Pirniče
One of the oldest inns in the area, known for their Slovenian, venison, Mediterranean and vegetarian dishes.

Bormes Inn
Bormes Tourist Farm is another post along the route, where you can have a snack or a rest in the homely environment on the edge of the forest. You will be offered Slovenian dishes including their specialities such as fried chicken and pork sausages in winter.

Slavko's Hut
The nicely renovated Slavko's Hut is a post one can classify as 'a suitable place for a snack'. A homemade snack is certainly welcome, not to mention the traditional 'white kidneys' the hut has been known for a long time now. A nice view of the Polhov Gradec Dolomites opens up from the terrace below the hut.

Bencak Inn
Their menu includes home-made Slovenian dishes, venison, fish dishes and seafood, freshwater fish, vegetarian and grilled dishes.

Grmada
Zahodni vrh Hill - Šmarnogorska Grmada or Grmada in short (676 m) is 7 metres higher than Šmarna gora Hill. The name got stuck from the period of Turkish invasions. Due to its position, an observatory was located on it, and bonfires were lit up in it to signal the Upper Carniolans about the approaching danger of Turkish robbery incursions.

Šmarna gora race
The Šmarna gora race is a traditional mass sporting event which, in addition to recreational runners, attracts best international fell runners.

Mežnar's downhill ski in Stanežiče
Popular ski competition from Staneški hrib Hill down the forest hills to the village is annually arranged every winter by the locals (if there is snow, of course) with mass participation. In addition to recreational sports enthusiasts, even more determined skiers from distant places compete too.

Following the Paths of the Robber Knights
The traditional event is not organised on a certain day of the year as other events (e.g. From Litija to Čatež), however, it is quite similar to them. The path leads towards the home of the medieval knights from Jetrbenk who were known for their plundering expeditions.
At the end of the path between Žlebe and Jeterbenk, a book is waiting for the participants intended for them to sign in it and confirm that they have walked or drove the entire path. And, truly, the book already contains a large number of signatures.

The path leads along less busy asphalt and macadam roads and cart tracks. The route is diverse as it is the nature on the way. The landscape along the route can be briefly described as interchanging forests, picturesque villages and nicely cultivated cultural landscape.
The route is suitable for cycling throughout the year, except in winter time. After heavy rain the cart tracks decay, thus the holes and puddles appear.
There are a lot of good inns and various places in the nature where you can make a stop, take a rest and work out.