STUNNING Frosty Ride in the High Tatras ❄️ Slovakia’s Most Beautiful Day | Bike Touring Europe

Day 249. 65km (92,223kms 8yrs)

Outside my chalet the grass was coated in a thick frost. It had been a cold night inside but I’d been protected from the subzero temperatures. And so I set out into what would be one of the most beautiful days of this European leg so far. The sky was bright and clear, the frost making everything it touched incredibly pretty.

I’d taken a side trip to Kežmarok on account of an 18th century wooden church, but found another delightful Slovakian village, complete with pastel painted houses, this one with a castle at the upper end of the main street. All wrapped up it was lovely to sit in the sunshine, though it wouldn’t have exceeded 8 or 9 degrees C.

After the low overnight temperatures the trees were loosing their leaves in the tiniest of breezes. Standing beneath one as the yellow leaves fluttered town against a bright blue sky I was overwhelmed by the beauty of it, and tried to ignore its message of an approaching winter.

Unenthusiastic about spending a night in these temperatures I’d booked a bed in a hiker’s hostel at the top of the High Tatras Plateau. For most of the ride snow-capped mountains stood to my right. Good cycle paths beside a stream took me to Poprad where I stocked up on dinner things to enjoy indoors with access to oven and fridge.

The hostel was marvelous; new, clean, and everything worked – unlike the Balkan hostels I’d stayed at lately. I settled in for a cosy night in a bunk with curtain and multiple sockets, stepping outside only for a moment to judge the coldness I’d escaped. Stunning day in Slovakia.

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[Applause] Oh, I can see the frost from here. Good morning. I’m nice and cozy in my little chalet. And I’ve dodged what looks like a very cold night. Um, going up again some more today. Um, but I think it’s supposed to be a little bit warmer tonight. I think it’s going to stay above zero. There is a hostel if uh if the forecast freaks me out. Um so yeah, 50 or 60 km still up into the Tetris Mountains hills today. Are they mountains? They don’t feel like mountains. Chilly. This is the trail that I initially ruled out because on the map it appeared to be too close to these houses which of course turned out to be empty and a much better spot to camp in the frost. Oh, snow. I am in the mountains. [Music] I had to jump off my bike because look at this. It’s so beautiful. What a gorgeous day to be in the mountains. So this wooden church was built in 1717 without a single nail apparently. I’ve checked the forecast and it is going to be sub-zero again tonight. So, I’m going to chill out in this town for a little bit. nice castle and then it’s 40 kilometers up up into the absolute high Tetris for an indoor sleep. So beautiful, but it also means winter’s coming. Oh, I was so busy looking at the mountains. What? [Music] There’s an oven in the hostel. I’m having pizza. Because I’m staying in the hostel tonight, I don’t have to spend two hours of my day uploading, posting, charging devices in a Mackers or a Tesco’s. I can do that overnight. I’m going to have a lovely shower and wash my hair. Better dry the tent out as well actually cuz it’ll have been a couple of nights. How exciting. And how good is this bike path, bike road even Midafter afternoon about 3:00 and it’s still very frosty in this part. So excited to be not camping tonight. Uhhuh. Nice room. Bottom bunk for me today. Okay, I’ve got the tent drying, beer’s chilling, everything charging. Time for a shower. Cheers. I just thought I’d pop outside for a minute. I’ve just locked myself out. I hope I can get back in. Uh, what a nice night to not be camping. Cheers. So cozy.