Watering Hole

Šentanel is a village in the north of Slovenia, in the region of Koroška, or Carinthia, on the slopes above the valley of the Meža, close to the Austrian border. The landscape is one of green hills and meadows rising to the long wall of the Karavanke, scattered with farms, a church and a few guesthouses, and it has a calm, rural character that suits walkers and cyclists. A watering hole, in the sense of a stone trough fed by a spring, is a small feature of that landscape, but it says a good deal about how mountain communities used to live.

Before piped water, villages depended on springs. A farm, a hamlet or a pasture was often placed where water emerged from the hillside, and the water was collected in a trough, a hollowed log or a stone basin, so that people could fetch water for the house and animals could drink. Livestock were driven to the trough in the morning and evening, shepherds and haymakers stopped to refresh themselves and the trough became a meeting place. Stone troughs are durable, and many have survived long after the animals disappeared, often with water still running into them year after year, since the spring does not stop. They are part of the common heritage of the Alps, and a good trough, with moss on its rim and cold water spilling over the edge, has a quiet beauty.

The one at Šentanel is a rest stop for walkers and cyclists rather than a sightseeing destination. It sits along a path through meadows and wildflowers, with views towards the Karavanke, and it offers a moment to pause, listen to the water and cool your hands and face on a hot day. A small word of caution is useful. Water from a spring in grazing country can be affected by animals, and you should not drink from a trough or spring unless it is marked as drinking water, so carry your own bottles and treat the stop as scenery. Travellers should also respect the farmland around, leave gates as they find them and keep dogs under control.

Šentanel offers other things for a stay. The Information Point is the place to ask about walking and cycling routes, the village church is dedicated to St. Anne and gives a focus for a short walk, and local guesthouses offer simple meals and rooms. The surrounding area has marked trails and quiet roads, and the old mining and industrial towns of the Meža valley are a short drive away.

It suits walkers, cyclists and people who like quiet villages. The best seasons are late spring and early autumn. The Karawanks line the horizon, and the Meža Valley below is a good place to continue. Slovenia’s springs are worth noticing.