Kaštele travelogue

The Bay of Kaštela is bordered from the north by hills that gently descend towards the sea - the highest are Kozjak, Opor and Trečanica. Kozjak is also the longest mountain, whose 16 kilometres stretch from Klis in the east to the Malačka pass in the west, and caravan routes once lead over it. Its highest peak is Veli vrh at a height of 779 metres. That the area of today's Kaštel Sućurac was inhabited long before the construction of the famous defensive castles, even 4000 years ago, is proven by a number of material remains from antiquity and the early Christian era of late antiquity. In the Middle Ages, life moved to the slopes of Kozjak, where villages containing several hamlets were formed around medieval churches. In the local cemetery is the chapel of Our Lady of Hladi dating back to 1393, in which the image of St. Mary from the 14th or 15th century and the bell tower from the 19th century of the old parish church that was destroyed in the tragic bombing in 1943 are located. The shrine of Our Lady of Sućurac was one of the most famous shrines of Our Lady in the Republic of Venice according to the chronicles of the time, and there are a number of stories about the Miraculous Lady. For this reason, there is a mention that the locals, in a time of great drought when there had been no rain for six months, organised a procession begging Our Lady to save them. A dark cloud obscured the clear sky and saved the harvest with heavy rain!

Technical features

Numerous changes in the surface, from fine macadam to poor asphalt and earth roads, give this trail a special character. With a length of 22.4 km and a difference in altitude of 687 m , a lot of climbing awaits you in the first part and several short and steep climbs in the second part of the trail. The physical level of difficulty is medium, while the technical level is lower. The first climb will take you from Kaštel Sućurac along macadam serpentines to a wide path that stretches along the area of Kaštela. The climb is 3.8 km long with a 7.6% slope with several steeper segments. After the climb, there is a long, slightly windy section with the same fine macadam, which makes this trail excellent for gravel and trekking bikes. The over 3km long descent begins with riding on a road that later joins a single track and macadam and asphalt roads in less good condition, but all this can even be overcome by riders with lower technical abilities. An interesting part of this route is riding on a stony single track along the railway line, which is separated by a safety fence later continuing on macadam. A combination of macadam and asphalt roads with several very short but steep climbs leads back to the starting point, the steepest of which is the last climb on a narrow single track with a maximum slope of 33.2%. An MTB or E-MTB is recommended, and more skilled cyclists can ride the trail on a gravel or trekking bike.