CREX CREX
Length
27.5
Length 27.5 km ​
Time needed
01:30
Time needed 01:30 ​
Največja strmina vzpona[%]
7
Greatest slope of the ascent: 7 %
Greatest slope of the descent: 7 %
Average slope of the ascent: 2 %
Length of ascents above 5%: 0.70 km
The lowest point of the route: 287 m
The highest point of the route: 317 m
Difference in altitude: 129 m
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Poraba kalorij
3052
Consumption of energy for men: 3052 kJ (729 kcal)
Consumption of energy for women: 2487 kJ (594 kcal)
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Difficulty
Difficulty: Medium demanding ​
Quality of the surface
Quality of the surface: Mixture
Type of bike: Trek bike
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Short description

A pleasant and not demanding route, which almost entirely runs along a plain. It runs along the south-eastern edges of the Marshes and across one of its pretties parts. Asphalt keeps exchanging with well-maintained macadam. The route is passable even after heavy rain when the meadows are flooded.

Course

NS Rudnik – Lavrica – Babna gorica – Škofljica – Pijava Gorica – Kremenica – Ig – preko Barja – Peruzzijeva cesta – NS Rudnik

From Rudnik to Škofljica
The tour begins in Rudnik, at a car park of the shopping centre or the new P+R car park Rudnik. Turn towards Dolenjska Road, drive past the double hayrack on the left , cross the railway and turn right onto the main road towards Lavrica. Drive through Lavrica and, at the end of the settlement, turn right onto Babnogoriška Road (street signpost).

A solitary hill called Babna gorica is in front of you . As soon as you cross the bridge over the Prošca Stream, turn left onto an unmarked asphalt path towards Škofljica.

Where the houses end, asphalt ends as well and is replaced by good macadam . Once on asphalt again, turn left towards north and drive over nasty humps until you reach the railway. Turn right before it and continue to the centre of Škofljica, and then turn right again towards a sawmill .

Go past the sawmill and continue on macadam until you reach a path crossing yours. Turn left there towards a business and trade area, go past it and you'll reach a two-way cycle lane, coloured in red and equipped with traffic signs.

Keep on going along the edges...
You'll drive along the edges for a few more kilometres and go past a flood plain on your right , . Turn right onto Škofljica–Ig road. The road is straight and wide so you can speed up. The fields of the Marshes are on your right and forest on your left , . At the end of the forest, leave this road and turn left towards Pijava Gorica.

Pijava Gorica–Kremenica
Drive along a tree-lined road – first with pear and apple trees, then without. (Not without trees, but with birches!) The asphalt is very damaged , so you'll see a traffic sign saying 'drive at your own risk' at the beginning of this road.

At the end of the tree-lined road, you'll see the main road towards Kočevje, but don't drive onto it. Instead, turn right onto the local road leading to Pijava Gorica, which you'll reach at its lower end. Perhaps you should put in some effort and go to the other end to the Church of St. Simon and Jude , .

The path continues further south towards Želimlje and Turjak, but don't go there now. At the first crossroads, turn right towards Ig. Drive across a short plain—the Želimlje Valley—and you're back at the edge of the Marshes, the southern edge this time. After a few bends, you'll reach the first and only ascent of this route worth mentioning, and soon you'll find yourself in Kremenica .

A detour to Draga
Our route follows the main road, but in Kremenica, you can leave it and take a look at the lakes or ponds in Draga. You can make a circular trip and even if you drive slowly, it won't take more than 20 minutes of your time. But, of course, you can treat yourself to a longer tour and perhaps a walk along the forest educational trail running along the ponds (length: 3.2 kilometres, blaze: white water lily), which would take you about two hours , , , .

And you'll find yourself 'cornered'
Well, actually you're in Ig. According to some sources, the name Ig derives from a German word Eck meaning corner. So move on and at the main crossroads turn right 'around the corner' towards Ljubljana. Right at the crossroads, there's the spring of the River Ižica , , which already at its spring carries so much water that it can propel a mill. Continue to the Petrol service station and turn right again. But be careful – the crossroads is barely noticeable.

Hurrah – driving across the Marshes...
The whole time, you've been cycling along the edge of the Marshes, but now you're entering the Marshes itself , , , , to one of its most beautiful parts. This is the home of one of the rarest birds in Europe, corncrake (Crex crex) , and you're driving straight through its habitat. It's unlikely that you'll see it as it's one of the most endangered and rare birds in Slovenia. But, perhaps, you'll get lucky...

Soon after the settlement ends, you'll see a bore on your right just next to the road with water gushing from it about 30 centimetres high . A bit further on, you'll cross Ižica and reach an intersection of five roads with a board containing information on pile dwellers of the Marshes and another spring right next to it – this time on the left side , , , .

Towards Ljubljana
You're at an intersection of five roads forming the shape of a regular five-pointed star. Decide on the road going straight ahead and continue along this road – towards north. Cultivated agricultural land, uncultivated meadows and thin forest (birch, alder) are taking turns. In the empty space between two solitary hills (the left one is Grmez and the right one Babna gorica with an antenna on the top), you can admire the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. The path ends at a diagonal road, where you turn left towards Grmez .

Go past the solitary hill to a sharp right turn and then towards north again. Then just follow the path and turn left. The landscape is more and more cultivated. You'll see an unfinished house and an enclosure with horses. Just after it, turn right onto the Black path (Črna pot) , which probably got its name after black alders growing along it. Next, you'll drive along a lengthier straight section, across a bridge over a ditch overgrown with trees and then you'll reach the crossroads where the path makes a slight turn to the right. At the next crossroads, turn left near the motorway. You can't get lost here , – just drive straight on and you'll find yourself on Peruzzijeva Road on the southern side of a motorway overpass. Drive along the overpass and turn right towards the starting point immediately after it.

You've driven 27 kilometres, and if you went to Draga, a kilometre or so more. A pleasant afternoon trip. Perhaps you'll see a corncrake another time...

Church of St. Simon and Jude in Pijava Gorica
The church dates back to the 15th century. Frescos of Johannes de Laybaco were discovered in it not long ago. The place itself is a century or so older than the church and, in the old records, it's referred to as Pyaweczpuhel. Before ascending the steep and demanding Turjak slope, horse and cart drivers used to stop in Pijava Gorica to have a snack.

Ponds in Draga
There are six ponds altogether; they were formed in the 19th century, when clay was being dug and fish were being bred in this area. They're especially interesting in spring and summer when water lilies bloom. They're absolutely worth seeing at that time of year. In addition to white water lilies, which are clearly visible from the bank, the ponds host a rare and endangered carnivorous plant, lesser bladderwort (Utricularia minor). On its submersed leaves arranged like feathers, there are small bladders (it was named after them), into which small water creatures, such as water fleas, are caught. In June and July, tiny yellow flowers sprout above water and that's the time when it's best visible. The lesser bladderwort is a rather unimpressive plant and you won't see it from your bicycle. Instead, you can watch birds, for which the shores of the ponds overgrown with reed are a true paradise. Most of them are ducks (coots and mallards), and you may also notice grebes and great egrets. The ponds also host the European pond turtle, which is our only indigenous, very endangered, turtle. A bit further on along the Draščica Stream, which provides the ponds with water, you can also find otters and, deeper in the forest, lynx, wolves and bears.

Corncrake – Crex crex
The Marshes—extensive meadows, partly flooded, where grass is cut late in the year—this is the corncrake's habitat. Corncrake is a migratory bird from the rail family and seemingly not very attractive. It's the size of a pigeon but more similar to phasianids in form and colour (blotched brown). From May to July, it produces the characteristic 'krek krek' sound, after which it got its Latin name. But it's unlikely that you'll hear it – it likes to make the sound in the middle of the night.

Pile dwellers
The Ljubljana Marshes pile dwellings are one of the most significant archaeological sites in the world and represent the beginnings of agriculture, animal husbandry, pottery, permanent settlements and metallurgy in this area. The site is actually filled up, but basic information about it may be read on the information board.
In June 2011, the pile dwellings near Ig were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.