In Slovenia
and Croatia, we decide to take the right bank of the Mur Cycle Path: to
do so, we cross the national border directly in Bad Radkersburg at the main
border crossing and find ourselves in Gornja Radgona, the Slovenian part of
what was once a single town. No sooner have we crossed the border than we face
our first major challenge: should we tackle the climb to the castle that towers
above the town or not? Whatever we decide, the Mur Cycle Path takes us along
Partizanska Cesta and Ljutomer Cesta towards Radenci. Our route now takes us
through the small villages of Mele and Šratovci to the well-known spa town of
Radenci. Here, for the first time, we have the option of changing banks to
either continue cycling on the left bank or make a short detour back to Bad Radkersburg. Numerous springs in Radenci testify to the abundance of rich,
healthy thermal water. At both roundabouts in Radenci, we take the second exit
and continue straight ahead towards Ljutomer.
We leave the
village and cycle along beautiful cycle paths through the villages of
Rihtarovci, Turjanci, Hrastje-Mota and Vučja Vas, reaching the village of Stara
Nova Vas after about 9 km. After the Gorica inn, we turn left towards Veržej.
Here, we have the option of switching to the cycle path along the left bank of
the Mura or visiting the Babic mill on the Mura. However, we stay on the right
bank and continue past the Banovci thermal spa to cross a railway crossing
after a few kilometres. The path now leads us on to Krapje, past the bee museum
to Razkrižje, where we keep to the right just before the village to enter it.
In the centre, we keep straight ahead at the large crossroads and cycle towards
the Gibina border crossing. At the aforementioned crossroads, there is the last
opportunity to change banks of the Mur in Slovenia. In Razkrižje/Gibina, we
must not miss a well-deserved stop at the pumpkin seed oil mill and the
waterfall.
Continuing
along the main road, we arrive at the Gibina border crossing, the gateway to
Croatia. After a few kilometres, we reach the village of Sveti Martin na Muri.
Here, we find a mill trail, a ferry crossing over the Mur River and the
traditional Kiralj family mill, which is open to visitors. Via the villages of
Marof and Hlapicina, we continue to Mursko Središče, where a mining trail
awaits us at the visitor centre. The trail continues through several small
villages along fields and forests, always close to the Mur river, to Podturen
near the border triangle of Slovenia, Hungary and Croatia. Here, the route
turns south and continues through an agricultural region dotted with small
villages to Legrad, our destination.
Incidentally,
the Croatian Mur is a border river along its entire length, first with Slovenia
and then with Hungary. Some of these sections are also part of EuroVelo 13, the
‘Iron Curtain Trail’, which stretches along the former ‘Iron Curtain’ from
Finland to the Black Sea.