6 October: onion sets, weeding and a stunning panorama

Another sun-drenched day. Starting cool, as we plant onion sets, then hotting up for the continuation of the weeding.

Lunch is early, to accommodate Maria and me taking an hour off (in lieu of working an extra hour at the weekend to do a raspberry pick). I’m not sure Polona would have given us this extra time – the package is already exceptionally generous. But we happily accepted it as it would mean the possibility of climbing one of the <2000m peaks, that stands sentinel to the Ravenska Cočna valley. 

Maria has some fantastical ideas about walks – including scaling one of the >2000m peaks looking down on us. She has virtually no mountain-walking experience. So I have to be a party pooper. 800m represents a significant demand as far as I am concerned. We agree to try Goli peak (1787m), cycling to near where we went the other evening and abandoning the bikes at the start of the trail (1000m). 

There is a glimpse of Mala and Velika Baba peaks…

and then it’s a 1.5 hour slog up a brutal gradient with little respite and no views. 

As we hike up we cross paths with several people who are staying at Šenkova Domačiya, including one exhausted young girl. “Another hour”, they say. I look at my watch and realise we are cutting it a bit fine in terms of the available daylight. But we are so close… and finally we emerge onto a narrow grassy track winding onto the summit. 

The view is sensational. And I love seeing how this landscape fits together. 

We celebrate with dried apricots and choc. Then schlep down, jump on the bikes and make it back in time for supper. It is the most exercise I have had in a very long time. “Good teamwork”, says Maria. Yes. It’s so nice to be in good company.