This attractive loop route through the Bakar hinterland will provide more experienced cyclists with a great experience of viewpoints of the Kvarner archipelago from uncommon locations. The fact that the route passes through the former “Rupnik Line”, a series of bunkers built between the two world wars in response to Italian military and political aspirations towards the Croatian lands, speaks of the historically strategic importance and attractiveness of these locations.
The route starts in the centre of Škrljevo and first leads you to a viewpoint with a beautiful view of the city of Bakar, and then a gravel road parallel to the highway will take you to Bakar’s walls known as “Takala” – intertwined dry stone walls that locals turned into vineyards on extremely demanding terrain at the beginning of the 19th century. The Bakar stone walls are followed by a slightly steeper asphalt ascent through Hreljin and eventually to Plase, where you will be rewarded for your efforts with an incredible view of the Rijeka Bay and the islands. The gravel road continues through the “Satničko” picnic area to the southern slopes of Tuhobić, followed by a steeper descent towards Koritnjak. Crossing the Meja – Gornje Jelenje main road, the route takes you through the Matušajna and Trebestin hills, the location of several military bunkers. You then descend towards the hamlet of Ponikve, the birthplace of the lake that “emerges and disappears”, and finally to the destination in Škrljevo.
