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23. Mai 2026
There are so many trails behind my paws, so many mornings that smelled of pine and mountain air, so many views that made even me stop and just stand still for a moment — and I can hardly wait to tell you about all of them! But Masha keeps reminding me to be chronological, so we don't get lost in stories and forget which mountain belongs to which trip. So chronological it is 🙂
In this post I'll tell you about Slovenia — our second big travel adventure, and the trip that introduced me to proper mountain hiking. There's a twist in the story too — keep on reading!
After Italy, Masha and Kris spread a map of Europe across the table and started talking about where the camper van could take us next. They were looking for somewhere reachable by car, somewhere with proper nature, somewhere that felt like a genuine discovery rather than a place everyone already had a photograph of. Their eyes landed on Slovenia — a small country tucked between the Alps and the Adriatic, quietly full of forests and mountains and glacial lakes — and from the moment we arrived, it was clear that no map, however detailed, could have prepared us for how beautiful it actually was.
After deciding on the destination, the next question was when to go. Masha and Kris were still finding their feet as dog owners at that point, but they had already understood something important: summer is not the most dog-friendly season for a trip like this. The heat alone makes long drives and exposed trails genuinely uncomfortable for a dog, and on top of that, the most beautiful places in Europe in July and August tend to be full of people — which is not ideal for a young dog who is still learning how to behave. Busy campsites, crowded trails, strangers everywhere — it can be overwhelming and exhausting before the adventure has even properly begun. So instead of following the crowds in summer, we decided to hit the road in September: less traffic, still warm sunny days, golden light, and trails that gave us the space to find our rhythm together.
There were a few other things we did differently to prepare for this trip too.
🦮 My harness had been upgraded to a safer one. On our Italy trip I had slipped out of the old one during an exciting moment, and you should have seen Masha's face! She learned very quick that a good harness — one that fits properly and that your dog genuinely cannot wriggle free from — is not something to compromise on, especially in unfamiliar places. If your dog has ever pulled off an unexpected escape act, take that as a sign to invest in a better one.
🎒 We brought the dog backpack this time too, because we were planning bigger hikes and wanted to be prepared for whatever the mountains decided to throw at us.
🔦 And one small but genuinely useful addition to our kit: a little LED clip-on light for my collar. On campsites in the evening, when the light fades and a Westie decides to investigate the neighbouring pitch, it makes your dog instantly visible in the dark. A tiny thing that turned out to be surprisingly reassuring.
But enough about the preparations — let me tell you about the lakes, the mountains, and our favourite stops in Slovenia!
Distance: ~6 km loop | Time: 1.5–2 hours | Difficulty: Easy | Terrain: Paved path and gravel, wooden footbridge sections | Leash: Recommended
The lake Bled is the perfect introduction to Slovenia — and honestly, one of those walks you could do twice in a row without getting bored. The path circles the entire lake, mostly paved or gravelled, with benches, cafes, and drinking water along the way. The views change with every corner — the island from one angle, the castle from another, the Julian Alps reflected in the water on a calm morning.
It takes about 1.5-2 hours at a relaxed pace, though we'd recommend allowing more time than that. There will be stops. There will be photos. There will be a small white dog investigating every interesting smell along the shoreline.
🐾Small dog notes:🐾 Very easy on small paws — mostly flat and very friendly throughout. I think it's a lovely warm-up before tackling the Mala Osojnica viewpoint, which starts from the western end of the lake loop.
Distance: ~1.5 km return from the lake loop | Time: 1–1.5 hours including stops | Difficulty: Easy | Terrain: Steep forest path, rocky sections, metal staircase at the top | Leash: Recommended
If the lake loop gives you Bled from the shore, Mala Osojnica gives you Bled from above — and it is something else entirely. The viewpoint at 685 metres looks straight down onto the island and the castle with the Julian Alps stretching behind them. It is arguably the most iconic view in Slovenia, and having done it, we can confirm the reputation is entirely deserved!
The trail branches off from the western end of the lake loop — we did it on a separate day to keep things relaxed, but if you and your furry friend have the energy, combining the two into a half-day walk is a lovely option.
The trail is short but steep, climbing through forest with a metal staircase section near the top. The ascent takes about 40 minutes and is very much worth every step. As for me — I was in constant zoomies mode from the moment we started climbing. When I discovered that I could run up the path and then storm back down again, that became essentially my entire activity for the duration of the visit.
🐾Small dog notes:🐾 Very manageable for small dogs who are comfortable with some elevation and uneven terrain. The metal staircase near the top has open sections, so it's worth checking your dog's comfort level with that kind of surface beforehand. The trail can be muddy after rain.
For the full loop connecting Mala Osojnica to Ojstrica and Velika Osojnica, some sections officially restrict dogs, so the most straightforward option is the direct trail up to Mala Osojnica and back the same way — which gives you the best view anyway.
Distance: ~11 km loop | Time: 3-3.5 hours | Difficulty: Easy | Terrain: Gravel paths, forest trails, some rocky sections | Leash: Yes — Triglav National Park
If Lake Bled is Slovenia's famous face, Lake Bohinj is its soul. Deeper in the valley, quieter, less visited, and in our opinion more beautiful. The largest permanent glacial lake in Slovenia sits entirely within Triglav National Park, surrounded by the Julian Alps — and the loop trail around it is one of the most satisfying easy hikes we've done anywhere.
The path transitions from smooth gravel tracks along the southern shore to narrower, root-crossed forest trails along the northern edge. The lake views are constant with the Julian Alps reflect in the water on calm mornings.
We did the full lake loop and it was just perfect — easy, accessible, magnificent views at every turn, and the kind of walk that leaves you pleasantly tired and happy rather than exhausted.
🐾Small dog notes:🐾 The southern shore is smooth and easy on small paws. The northern trail is narrower with roots and some rocky sections — perfectly manageable but worth taking steadily. Dogs must be on leash throughout. Midway along the lake there's a natural spring of drinking water, so bring a travel bowl and make use of it.
Distance: Variable — we walked approximately 10–12 km return | Time: 4+ hours | Difficulty: Moderate to hard (we went further than planned) | Terrain: Valley floor path turning to steep rocky mountain trail | Leash: Yes
This is the story I've been looking forward to telling you. And I want to tell it properly, because I think it might be useful.
We wanted to see Triglav — Slovenia's highest mountain at 2,864 metres — up close. Nobody was planning to climb it, that was never on the table, I promise. We drove to the Vrata Valley, one of the dramatic glacial valleys beneath Triglav's famous north face, and set off on what Masha and Kris described as a nice easy walk in the valley.
The beginning was everything you could want from a mountain morning. Green meadows, cool forest shade, a clear well-marked path, and the north face of Triglav rising impossibly steep above us while the air smelled of pine and cold rock and something wild that kept my nose working constantly. I was deeply, completely happy — and when the path began to get a little steeper, I liked it even more and pressed forward with considerably more enthusiasm than was probably necessary.
And then the gentle forest path became something more serious, and somewhere in the middle of all of that — none of us are entirely sure at exactly which point — the easy valley walk had quietly transformed into a proper mountain hike without anyone quite noticing. The September sun, which had felt so warm and lovely in the valley below, was now pressing down on exposed rock with considerably more intensity, and when Masha stopped and looked around and then looked at me and then looked at Kris, the realisation arrived for all three of us at more or less the same moment: we were heading toward Luknja pass, a route that climbs 700 metres of elevation, and we had packed for an afternoon stroll. And we left the dog backpack in the camper van!
Masha looked at my paws picking their way across the loose rocky terrain, felt the heat on her face, thought about the kilometres still ahead and the kilometres already behind us, and made the decision to turn back.
I have to say that turning back was the very right thing to do, and we were all proud of that decision afterwards. It still took us another 2 hours to get back to the van, and all three of us were completely exhausted. Masha worried afterwards that she had pushed me too hard, that she had somehow let me down by misjudging the route.
What the whole experience gave us was something more valuable than a summit: the understanding that any mountain trail can change character gradually and quietly, that what begins as a gentle valley path can become something much more serious before you quite realise it, and that knowing when to stop and turn around is not a failure of ambition but simply good judgment — and perhaps the most important skill of all when you're hiking with a small dog who would happily follow you to the top of anything.
Long mountain days are wonderful, but they deserve a proper recovery. After a tough hike, your dog needs fresh water in generous amounts, a slightly bigger meal than usual, a thorough tick check, and time to genuinely rest. Try not to plan another demanding walk the next days — let the paws recover.
🧴 Paw balm is one of those things we discovered late and wish we'd started using sooner. Rocky trails are hard on small paws, and a little balm applied after a long day makes a real difference to how quickly they bounce back.
Distance: ~2 km one way | Time: ~30 minutes one way | Difficulty: Easy | Terrain: Paved coastal path | Leash: Recommended
After all that mountain drama, we pointed the camper van toward the coast to see the contrast from the dramatic Julian Alps.
Piran is the kind of town that makes you slow down. Medieval Venetian architecture, narrow streets that twist and turn, the sea glittering at the end of every alley. It is also genuinely dog friendly — we wandered the streets freely, sat at outdoor cafes, and were welcomed warmly wherever we went.
The Piran–Fiesa coastal path follows the clifftop above the Adriatic for about 2 km, with beautiful sea views the whole way. It takes around 30 minutes at a relaxed pace — or considerably longer if you stop to look at everything, which we did. The path is paved, easy on small paws, and gentle enough to feel like a proper rest after a week in the mountains.
A small note worth mentioning: Fiesa beach itself has restrictions on dogs, so if you're hoping for a beach day, it's worth checking current dog-friendly options in the area before you go. The coastal path, though, is wonderful regardless — and the views of the Adriatic from the clifftop are more than enough of a reward.
🐾Small dog notes:🐾 Fully paved and completely flat. A perfect recovery walk after anything more demanding, and a lovely introduction to Slovenia's coastline.
Of course, there were many more walks, detours and small adventures along the way that I haven't even mentioned — a wander through Ljubljana, a night on a tiny campsite high up in the mountains where the silence was so complete it felt like the whole world had gone to sleep, and countless smaller paths that didn't make it into the post but were wonderful in their own quiet way. I could go on and on, and perhaps one day I will.
But the hikes I've shared here were the ones that stayed with us most — the ones that shaped how we think about traveling with a small dog, what we're capable of together, and how much there still is to discover. Slovenia gave us all of that, and we left already wondering when we'd be back.
Woof,
Leeloo