Intrepid explorers of Istria

We boldly went today where only brave explorers go; inland to the delights listed on the website colours of Istria dotcom. It is only 15km inland and beyond Novigrad we expect there may be other towns and other things to see.

 Admittedly the website gives few clues to the exact whereabouts of these attractions, but when did you last see GPS co-ordinates on any national trust properties? So off we went to Nova Vas, which my satnav could find, a tiny hamlet near the town of Brtonigla. (No I can’t pronounce it either.) When we got to Nova Vas I stopped and asked some council workmen who were having a cigarette in the shade, where I would find the nature park skarline? There followed a discussion between them, and they thought it might be that direction, pointing up the hill. I was not entirely convinced so I went into the small shop we had parked outside. Did the woman serving the counter know? Apparently not, she asked another customer, and that made about five locals who were not very sure. Did I have a map? Yes, I went and fetched it from the bike. Was the attraction on the map? No, obviously if it was on the map, then I would know where it was and it would be silly to ask for directions.

At this point it is worth repeating the blurb on the website:

http://www.coloursofistria.com/en/nature-and-camping/natural-attractions/nature-park-skarline

“To residents of the area, Nature Park Škarline is an inseparable part of local identity and holds an indelible place in the collective mind.”

Then it goes on; “Visitors to the area sometimes fail to discover this perfectly preserved nature park located only two kilometres from Brtonigla and named Škarline after the stream that springs in the park. Along its course to Mirna River, several kilometres to the south, the stream has created a luscious, green canyon, one of its kind in Istria.”

So we also knew from the website that a two-kilometre macadam track leads from the village of Nova Vas, near Brtonigla, along the edges of vineyards to the nature park. In dry weather, the nature park can be reached by car….”

We set off in the direction the council workmen suggested and sure enough there was the sign, and the start of the tarmac track.

The tar lasted all off about 10 feet, and not much of it remained intact, and then it became loose gravel, and ruts, and then mud. Carol got off as I negotiated the muddy ruts left by a tractor. I hesitated to go the whole 2 km, but reasoned that having done 1km, why not do another one.

We found our way to the top of the stream and the canyon, helpfully marked by red and white painted trees or rocks along the way. Despite this we took several wrong turns along the path, and walked about an hour through the bush and then decided to backtrack and try walking along the stream. We had to cross the stream several times as the rock wall became impassable on either side.

The canyon was impressive, and we stopped for our picnic lunch and found a mossy log to sit on. Returning home, we stopped and took a slight detour after seeing a sign for caves. It was somewhere near the town whose name I can’t pronounce or remember. The English was "white marble cave", which is misleading, because they are limestone of course.

We stopped at the caves and were told the tour was about to start, so hurry up if we wanted to join it. We did, so we quickly descended into the gloom, and had a very sweet tour guide give us and one Norwegian man a history and geology lesson, which was quite entertaining. And we saw a strange life form down in the caves, which was not a Neanderthal man, but a small albino insect running over the moist limestone – a little larger larger than an ant. An isopod, I was told. And they were ageing wine in some oak barrels. No, not the ispods, silly, the wine growers were ageing their wine down in the cave.

We came back up, and had a glass of the local white wine with some cheese left over from our picnic lunch. Explorers need rewards.