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CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE

Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili and Škocjan Caves

Plan this ride

Recorded distance
472 km
Riding-time estimate
8 h 30
Journey
Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis

Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.

Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.

Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.

Open this ride in CurveScout

Why this ride

A 472 km round trip from Poreč - roughly 8 h 30 in the saddle. On the way it passes Škocjan Caves, Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the, back through Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the and back through Škocjan Caves. It crosses from Croatia into Slovenia - carry ID and check vignette or toll rules. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.

Scenic road chapters

Croatia Istrian Hill Town Route

Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 93 km this is Croatia Istrian Hill Town Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.

Chapter facts
Length
93 km
Named road
Croatia Istrian Hill Town Route

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

  1. 1. Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili

    Poreč sits on a little limestone peninsula on the western coast of Istria, and the old town still follows the grid the Romans laid down, with the Decumanus running straight down the middle. The Euphrasian Basilica is tucked a few lanes from the main street, behind a quiet atrium, and it is easy to walk past if you are looking for something grand from the outside. Inside is the reason it earned its UNESCO listing: a sixth-century church, built under Bishop Euphrasius, that kept its Byzantine mosaics through a millennium and a half of earthquakes, Venetian rule and tourism.

    Read the complete Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili is where the day begins. Next is Škocjan Caves.

  2. 2. Škocjan Caves

    Underneath the sleepy stone villages of the Slovenian Karst, a river called the Reka plunges into the earth and carves one of the largest underground canyons known anywhere. The Škocjan Caves, a UNESCO site since 1986, are the reason the word karst became the scientific name for this kind of limestone landscape everywhere in the world. Inside, a narrow footbridge spans the Reka gorge far above the roaring water, the chamber walls disappear into darkness, and the scale is so huge that your mind struggles to accept it is all underground.

    Read the complete Škocjan Caves write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Škocjan Caves comes up about 93 km into the recorded legs. Next is Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the.

  3. 3. Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the

    Deep in a wooded gorge above Idrija, where the stream called Idrijska Bela tumbles over pale limestone, stands one of the strangest pieces of old engineering in Slovenia: a klavže, a water barrier built of massive dressed stone blocks across the narrow valley. Its job had nothing to do with power or flood control. Idrija's mercury mine, one of the two largest in the world for centuries, devoured timber for its shafts and smelters, and the forests close to town were soon exhausted. So the miners built these dams on mountain streams, let water build up behind them, piled cut logs in the bed below and then opened the gates. The released flood swept the timber all the way down to Idrija, where it was caught at a rake across the river.

    Read the complete Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    about 160 km into the recorded legs you reach Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the.

  4. 4. Škocjan Caves

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Škocjan Caves write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Škocjan Caves, about halfway. Next is back through Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the.

  5. 5. back through Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    back through Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the sits at 227 km, about halfway. Next is back through Škocjan Caves.

  6. 6. back through Škocjan Caves

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Škocjan Caves write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    back through Škocjan Caves comes up about 379 km into the recorded legs. Next is Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili.

  7. 7. Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili

    Return visit. Read the place description above.

    Read the complete Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili write-up.

    Recorded stop-planning note

    May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

    Planning note

    Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili closes the day.

Leg by leg

Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili to Škocjan Caves

Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili → Škocjan Caves is 93 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.

Škocjan Caves to Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the

Škocjan Caves → Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the to Škocjan Caves

Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the → Škocjan Caves is 76 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

Škocjan Caves to back through Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the

Škocjan Caves → back through Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the is 67 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the to back through Škocjan Caves

back through Idrijska Bela - Belca Water Barrier on the → back through Škocjan Caves is 76 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.

back through Škocjan Caves to Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili

back through Škocjan Caves → Episcopal Complex of the Euphrasian Basili is 93 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.

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