Slovenian Istria

Start on the cycling route of Health and Friendship, Parenzana, from the parking lot on the railway station in Koper. This cycling route runs parallel to the highway by the Škocjan Inlet Nature Reserve towards Bertoki. At the end of the route, turn left, passing the entrance to the Škocjan Inlet Nature Reserve, and continue towards the roundabout. Then you turn right on a viaduct that crosses the railway. Continue cycling straight ahead across the second roundabout up to the main road towards Ankaran. Here you turn left and continue through Ankaran up to Debeli rtič. The road descends in an arch towards the seaside and, along the narrow part, a paved road splits off and steeply climbs through the vineyards on Barižoni. At the turning in the middle of the sheer slope, turn left on the plateau (the road is closed for traffic) and continue along the paved road on the left side, then almost horizontally, along the macadam along the forest border to the houses in Barižoni. An information board invites you to visit the grove Resslov gaj, then turn left and after a slight ascent, you reach the road on the ridge of Muggia hills by the church of Saint Birgid of Kildare (or Birgid). Turn right towards Hrvatini, passing the church and cemetery, in order to reach the next crossroad, where you continue slightly ascending passing Božiči and Fajti up the crossroads for Elerji/Elarji. Then you turn right downwards to the village and steeply ascend to the service road by the expressway Trieste / Trst-Koper. At this point, you may decide to shorten the way, namely in direction for Bertoki up to Koper. Further on, the path descends towards the highway (D-8), where you cross the cycling route D-8 and descend towards the bridge to the right, over the bridge and turn right again towards Trieste / Trieste. Behind the casino and the petrol station at the former crossing point on the Italian side, leave the main road and turn right on the parallel old route till the roundabout. At the second exit (industrial zone) turn right to Osp Valley and past the commercial facilities continuing to the end of paved road, where the information board “Traversata Muggesana” stands. A rut full of holes brings you in the forest, passing interesting lakes almost horizontally by the hill past two split-offs, where you stay on your right, up to the fork in thr road with a barrier. Here you turn left on the small bridge and drive for 100 metres up to the right, where you turn right on the former border crossing point Osp and return to Slovenia. You reach the village of Osp on the road with the famous climbing walls with the spring of the river. Continue along the valley upwards and 200 metres after the village centre turn left towards the collapse doline Mišja peč. Then the rut starts to ascend towards Stara Gabrovica (turn left upwards at the chapel in Stara Gabrovica) and leads underneath the mighty viaduct, which is more than 100 metres high viaduct, till reaching the Church of Saint Nicholas and left upwards to the main road. Then you descend towards the lower part of Črni Kal, cross the main road and go down through Krnica to Rižana, then you turn right across the village along the main road through Cepki till the 500-metre-away crossroads. Here you turn left on a small bridge over the railway track and, right, by the houses between the track and the river, where you reach the picturesque part of Rižana with dykes. A short stone passage follows the river. Then you cross the bridge and arrive in the courtyard of the wine cellar Bordon. Continue in the right direction till the concrete factory, where you turn left and afterwards immediately right through a narrow asphalt road over Mikoti and, on macadam, towards the bridgehead of Parenzana (D-8). There you turn left till a larger bridge over Rižana and continue by turning left till the highway, where you turn right towards Sermin. At the end of a bridge, you cross the bridge over highway and return towards the Koper train station, where you started your journey.