Starting point from Crogole - near Trieste
This year, despite the november's late autumn, is still suitable for cycling. Slovenian littoral region with its warm climate offers almost ideal conditions for biking, so the bike routes in this area at the weekend are even more busy. Circular cycling bike trip Trieste - Kozina - Trieste is the ideal trip for the autumn period, when the days are short. In the early spring months, when the climate of inland is cold, the tour can be used to prepare to a cycling or running season. What if you do not have wheels? Then choose only part of the route - the path of the railway former routh. On the picturesque trails you can walk your pet dog or take an advantage for your running season.
For those who like to travel by train, get off at the railway station Hrpelje - Kozina (497 m above sea level). Of course, it is also possible trip from Divaca Lokev or from Osun through Opcina or Lipica and Bazovica. For those who will ride a circular tour it is the most appropriate starting point and the beginning of the cycling tour in the village of Bagnoli Superiore or Crogole above the town of Trieste. The starting point lies at an altitude of about 80 m. To start the tour you will need to overcome the 6 km long uphill and climb to the castle above the village Socerb, which lies on the height about 420 m above sea level.
Climb to the castle of Socerb - Slovenia
From the castl's courtyard of Socerb, you must return about one kilometer back to the village of Socerb. On a larger macadam's parking place turn left to the rough, dusty dirt road.
If you till now didn't think about appropriate equipment of your rubber wheel for sharp karst rocks on the road, then now is the last moment to decide whether continue or turn back to the paved road and back to the starting point. Take care also to keep a spare tube and pump of course. The road is really real bike off road through the karst landscape. Cycling is a pleasure especially in autumn when the landscape glows in autumn's colors. The path leads through the pasture to the idyllic karst village of Beka, where again we encounter a paved road. If you are tired of the dirt road and climbs here are just right place for a short break.
We continue bike trip after a good asphalt road without traffic and in a few short climbs and long downhill reached the village of Klanec. The tour will continue a good one kilometer in the direction of the highway.On the left side of the road is positioned parking place. Here begins a descent through the regional park along the gravel road of the former railway line.
Regional Park includes the valley gorge of Glinscica and Grize valley, root pits and archaeological localities Lorencon, Castel above Botac and Sela na Malem Krasu. The entire area was declared as a nature park in 1992 and it is characterized by an extremely picturesque and unspoiled landscape
Descent through the former railway to town of Trieste
At this point begins gravel path along the old route of the railway lines to Trieste, the so-called line or Hrpelje Hrpeljska - Kozina - Trieste. The track was built in 1887, but it was abolished in 1959. Railway in the past represented a link between Trieste and Pula.
Due to the extremely high inclination (32.7 ‰) vertical drop of about 490 m and length of about 19 km, the railway was in extreme weather conditions almost useless.
Railway had 13 bridges and 5 tunnels, the longest of which is 224 m long tunnel Ricmanje. Today, the former railway line was converted into an excellent bike and walking path.
To conclude our circular bike tours is required exit from the railway line to the main road toward the village Bagnolet Superior. The exit is located below the new underground passageway below the main road. Above the passageway lies a large parking place, where runners or walkers can leave their car. There is still an easy journey through the 5 km road section to the starting point of our bike trip..
History of the region and the former railway in short
Built as an alternative to the Vienna - Trieste "Southern" railway, the railway from Hrpelje station to Trieste connected the Karstic plateau to the sea through the only accessible valley - the Glinscica Valley. The 20 kilometers long single line was built by the Habsburgian Empire in only two years; in 1887, engine drivers skillfully drove on the 490 meters gradient, thus allowing a more rapid connection between Trieste, Ljubljana and other parts of the Empire.
Today, along the railroad line, there are a byke-pedestrial path and some important caves. The presence of man in the Neolithic era (7500 years ago) is proved ny some prehistoric objects found in the "Pecina pod steno" cave: cup like vases, terra-cotta, seals and sharp obsidian rocks. From the prehistorical and archeilogical point of view are great importance also Badger cave (Jazbeceva jama) and the Mala Pokala cave, whereas of naturalistic importance are the marvlous and long Wind crack cave (Fessura del Vento) and the Savi cave (Jama Savi), which is also called the Cave od dreams due to its beauty: this cave is more than 4 kilometres long and includes galleries, ravines, small caves and halls. In the Martina cave (Jama Martina) thread like concretions, multileve labyrinths, ravines, ponds and lakes alternate. The caves are the reign of mosses, which are specialized in surviving in places, where the light is a thousand times dimmer than the one on the surface; here live various blind and de-pigmented ibvertebrates; but the king of the caves is a mammal, the bat, which is able to fly in the dark due to its efficient ultrasound based orientation system.