This is a two-day bikepacking initiation ride around the inland lake called Vransko Jezero in Dalmatia, Croatia. I did it in the extreme heat of August with my grandson, Nikko. It can actually be done in a day, but I wanted to include a night of wild camping (free camping) so that we covered all the aspects of bikehiking.
We started by loading the car with our bikes and gear late in the morning (after his last waterpolo practice of the summer). We then drove out to my seaside property called Spličac that i use for hosting warmshowers.org bikepacking guest. We parked the car in the shade next to the beach, unloaded the gear, ate a supermarket prepared lunch and then packed the bikes and finally set off around 4pm.
Our first day’s objective was a spot called Golobinka, another piece of land that I use for hosting warmshowers.org bikepackers, but this property is on the lake shore about 10 km away. Both properties are just off the EuroVelo #8 bike route that follows the Croatian coast south to Athens, Greece or Istanbul, Turkey.
We got there easily and then set about finding spots to hang our hammocks. I picked two pine trees out on the cliff overlooking the lake. A spectacular but scary spot. Nikko picked a safer spot tucked into a small pine clearing set back from the cliffs (at the insistence of his mother who immediately called when she got a WhatsApp photo of my hammock location).
Total Cost Range of this Activity is: Free
Free, free and free (ok there is a 5 euro park fee if you stop at the visitor center).
We then retired down the cliff to go swimming and exploring before I assiged Nikko cooking tasks for dinner. Grub was followed by sunset shots across the lake.
The entire area around the lake is now a National Park/Bird Sanctuary even though half of the land area is covered in private old growth olive groves. The other half is shallow reeds/grass and scrub bushes (an ideal bird habitat).
Watch The Video
I turned in early while Nikko climbed into his hammock and began watching episodes on his phone. You can take the boy out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the boy if there is a data signal within reach.
Day 2
The next day we were up early for breakfast, packed, burned our trash and set off back up the gravel track to join the Euro Velo #8 route northward. The track was a rough dirt double-track more suited to MTB than a hybrid/gravel bike but manageable if taken at an easy pace.
Within an hour we started to see signs of habitation and farms. New side gravel roads lead off to isolated homes (built legally?).
Very quickly the temperature became uncomfortable. August is certainly not the best time to ride the hot arid coastal areas of Croatia, but I was planning on a lot of water breaks and rest stops.
The first break was a detour to the village of Drage for water at the road-side service station (and a coffee). We then put another hour behind us and stopped at Pakoštane where the Euro Velo trail skirted the coastal highway and a Plodine supermarket. Here we purchased supplies, refilled our water bottles, ate brunch and drank more coffee.
For the next hour we followed the Euro Velo #8 route north on small paved roads before turning off the route to the east, crossing the top of the lake (still on small paved roads with very little shade).
By noon we turned south at the north-east corner of the lake. At this stage we observed lots of trails leading down into the marshlands along the lake, but we stayed up on the marked bike track because the walking tracks did not look gravel/hybrid bike friendly.
By 1 pm we were cooked and took shelter at the first opportunity (a stone hut overlooking the lake). I was surprised that there were so few places to find shade (the terrain was an expanse of parched sharp rocks and stunted growth).
Once riding back in the sun, foolishly, I turned of the marked bike path to head further inland in hopes of reaching a 600m high overlook that contained a park visitor station, shaded benches and a tourist shop. About 30 minutes into the detour I realized that we were burning too much energy, the track was predominantly deep gravel that our bikes could not negotiate and we were bike hiking more than bike packing. So we turned around and quickly backtracked to the bike trail we had left. What a waste of time and energy.
Honestly I was exhausted but we were only technically half way around the lake. Our options were to push on with hopes of reaching the southern of southwestern part of the lake where we might be able to find some shade for an overnight camp or perhaps push on to complete the circuit by the end of the day. Turning back was not an option.
We soldiered on for another two hours until we reached a wooden overlook with benches. We threw our bikes to the ground and slumped into the shade. Parched and thirsty. I began to realize that there were no water points available and I did not relish the idea of a detour down to the lake to drink green untreated water. So it was time to start conserving our water.
After a 30 minute break and snacks we set off south on a mostly horizontal track where we passed a number of day riders heading north on e-bikes or MTB bikes without gear. Most looked dehydrated and as baffled as we were. Clearly we all assumed there would be shade, drinking water and swimming opportunities around the lake.
As the afternoon wore on and I started to get leg cramps from dehydration we reached an area of isolated farms (with locked gates) along the southeast shore. At this stage I felt re-energized since I knew we were 3/4 of the way around and that the trail would become easier to ride (a dirt road used by locals for olive picking or the local farms than a dirt track).
The End in Sight
Around 5pm we rounded the final bend in the lake and were only about 10 kms from our starting point the previous day. And then naturally Nikko signaled a problem. We stopped and examined his bike. His bike wrack had broken loose and his pannier was tangled in the rear wheel. Great, now I got to stack his gear onto my bike for the last push.
With the extra gear on my bike I decided to take a few shortcuts (using the main coastal highway rather than the lakeside dirt tracks, to reach our Splčac land by 7pm.
Nikko was cooked and exhausted. I asked if he wanted to camp there for the night or load the car and return to civilization and warm showers. Wisely he opted for the warm showers.
By 8pm we were home and enjoying refrigerated water, warm showers and hot food.
Conclusion
The lake can be better circumnavigated by bicycle from the Prosika Ranger Station, going counter-clockwise since water and shops will be available near the end of the ride rather than the beginning. Plus even better without gear or with an e-bike it can be done in a single long day rather than two.
GPS Track
Download the around-vransko-2 track. Check out more GPS tracks.