When Eddie first suggested we go to Slovenia on holiday I was pretty dismissive. It definitely wasn’t on my bucket list of places to visit. When he suggested we drive I was even less keen at the prospect of hours in the car together + 1 x teenager (William having gone to Nabugabo, Uganda). But then I thought, what the hell, why not give it a go, and as is invariably the way with these things, once I’d got sucked into the possibilities that AirBnB brings in the way of accommodation, I realised there was a great deal more to Slovenia than my narrow mind had considered.

If I’m the accommodation, Eddie is the navigation when it comes to getting away. We set off from Dover on the Channel Tunnel, having dropped Will off at school to catch the bus from Pangbourne to Heathrow. Out the other side in time to drive to Calais where I’d booked us a cheap and cheerful family room in Hotel de la Plage just a few minutes drive from the station. Or so I thought. It seemed very busy for a Sunday evening, and we couldn’t understand why there were so many people and fireworks going off left, right and centre. Until the penny dropped and we realised it was Bastille Day.

From Calais it was on to Munich, a long eight hourish drive which took us to the Hampton by Hilton and a clean and spacious family room outside the city but close enough to a decent restaurant nearby for a cold beer and a fresh salad supper to offset the croissants we’d wolfed down at breakfast and the Whoppers at lunch.

Next up, Innerfragant in Austria. The type of place you’d only find by chance, as if you’d closed your eyes and stuck a pin somewhere in the map. Our small cabin even harder to find, but the more remote you are, the more beautiful and peaceful your surroundings, and this was definitely the case with our two day stay. Waking up in the mountains the following morning inspired us to take the cable car up the Molltaler Gletscher and walk all the way back down to the Funicular station, a spectactularly steep hike which took six hours (with one stop at the Mittelstation for a beer and hausbrot) and destroyed all the muscles in my legs for days.

Then it was time to finally cross the border to our ultimate destination and our apartment in Ljubljana. The town is the perfect base to go out and explore from, and after we’d settled in the first night, we decided to drive out to the Postojna caves. In my experience cave trips can be hit or miss. We’ve been to some that are a horror of tourist-trappage with oceans of stalls selling tat or fast food and sluggish tourists millling about waiting in long, hot queues to pay over the odds for a tour that lasts twenty minutes.

In Postojna this is definitely not the case. Admittedly we found the initial train journey a bit cringe, but then again it’s a good idea to keep tourists corralled safely so they can’t graffiti pristine rock formations, drop coins into pristine springs or break off delicate stalactites to take home as souvenirs. We journeyed into the deep of the cave system, and then spent an hour walking through jaw-dropping structures. I’d never seen anything like it. I’d equally never seen anything like the pillock who took a photo of one of the rare olms that live in the caves, giggling as they ignored the sign that said ‘please don’t take photographs of the olms.’

We hit Ljubljana Old Town for supper, a place so buzzing it was hard to decide on a restaurant, but in the end, buoyed up by our cave experience, we threw caution and wallet to the wind and tried Landerik which was one of those meals where every course has a scientific tang to it as the chef moulds ingredients into different chemical compounds. It definitely earned its Michelin Star and our thanks for a delicious post-Postojna feast.

The following day was another highlight, an e-bike tour to the Vintgar Gorge, then back for a circuit of Lake Bled. The gorge was great to see, but if I’m honest Lake Bled was very touristy and busy. After an amazing lunch (the strudel!) at the local bakery we dropped off the bikes and decided to visit the other large lake in the area, Lake Bohinj. This was much less built up and quieter. We swam out into the cool water and felt immediately refreshed after the hot drive and cycle. It was a highlight.

No time to dally, on we went to Trenta, a tiny village high up in the Julian Alps. The drive alone up and over the Vrsic Pass was jaw-dropping. Our place was on the 47th bend which gives you an idea of how wiggly the road was. This was definitely one of the most beautiful locations I have ever stayed in. If you’re looking for solitude, peace and tranquility, this is the place for you.

Ironically, our stay was anything but peaceful or tranquil. This was because we’d tried to create an itinerary where at least some of what we did appealed to James. I booked rafting on the Soca river for the first day, followed by canyoning on the second, using an app called ‘Get Your Guide‘ which helps you find tours and activities all over the world – it was a Godsend, the recommendations it gave were ideal for us. Both the rafting and canyoning were great fun, and you could sit out anything you didn’t want to do – in my case jumping off a 7 foot rock. I left that to James and Eddie. Canyoning I found much more challenging, and had to face up to my fears or waste my money and time, and look like a wimp to be brutally honest. I faced them. And screamed. A lot.

One last pizza for the road, and then we turned for Piran and four days of R&R in this tiny town on the coast of Slovenia. Our apartment was right in the middle of Piran in one of its narrow streets which emerged into the sunlit harbour. From there you could stroll into town, or head up and over the hill to the rocky beach on the other side of the battlements, or – and this was James’ and my favourite – chill out on the concrete just past the bus station. No it wasn’t glamorous, but somehow finding your spot on the stone path and jumping into the sea when you got too hot, worked for us.

I always try to end our holidays with time to chill in the sunshine before turning for the long journey home. In our case eight hours to Bourg en Bresse in France where we stayed in an unexpectedly lovely suite in the Best Western there, followed by another eight hours the following day (three of which were spent stationary on the M25. Of course) back to our front door and home. Tired, grumpy, with no clean clothes and no food, but having had an unforgettable holiday in stunning Slovenia.

I take it all back, it was a fabulous place to visit! Next time I’ll definitely be more open-minded when it comes to holidays off the beaten track.