3-Pristine nature trail
The history of the Ottoman conquest of these areas is well-known, but the times of ugly conflicts left behind traces and some testimonies, the beauty of which delights us today and calls for new research. Thus, in the second half of the 15th century, the inhabitants and the shores of the gorgeous Marina Bay were threatened by the danger of Turkish penetration, so at the request of Bishop Marcello, Prince Barbarigo of Trogir approved the construction of a fort to defend the place.
In the bay near the church of St. Marina from 1495 to 1500, a square tower with three floors was built as the bishop’s residence of Fran Marcello, whose initials with the coat of arms are above the door that were secured by the loopholes. The bishop’s tower, Kaštil, was built on cliffs in the sea, and the unique defence complex also included the Citadel, a fort located on land. The canal between them was buried at the beginning of the 20th century.
Besides the Adriatic blue, Marina also has its green side. Culture and tradition, original Dalmatian customs, costumes, gastronomy, traditional villages of stone houses have been preserved in its hinterland. Here, the rich historical heritage competes with the beauty of the almost untouched nature of the Marina’s hinterland.
Marina
28,9km
2h
Technical characteristics
The trail begins with a climb on asphalt road that passes by the family house of General Andrija Matijaš-Pauk. Soon after, it splits off to the beginning of a rough concrete ascent, which is a very interesting surface for this type of cycling. The ascent is 2.1 km long with an average slope of 7% and a maximum of 25%, it is of medium physical and low technical demand. After climbing to 240 metres above sea level, the trail leads along breath-taking olive groves. Diverse very short climbs and descents on a wide and fine macadam road add to the dynamics. In the second part of the trail, the road surface changes as well as its character. The descents become more technically demanding on loose terrain, but they are still of medium technical difficulty and most cyclists can certainly master them.
After a short ride on the road, the trail splits onto a very dynamic macadam road with steep climbs, turns and changes in the surface along with one technically demanding climb at the 19th kilometre.
The rest of the trail is tame with the exception of a short loose stony descent, and it returns us to the starting point with a combination of fine macadam and road. An MTB or E-MTB is recommended. Gravel bikes will have a hard time overcoming some of the more demanding descents and the steep climb at 19th kilometre.