Branik - Trstelj (on forest path)

Access to the starting point:
a) From the motorway Ljubljana - Koper, take the exit Senožeče and then continue driving towards the village of Štorje. At Štorje, turn right in the direction of Branik (straight ahead to Sežana and Trieste) and continue through the villages of Kazlje, Dobravlje and Ponikve. At the junction a few kilometres after Ponikve, turn right towards the village of Kobdilj (left Kopriva and Dutovlje), and from there follow the signs for Štanjel and Branik. After a few kilometres downhill, we arrive at Branik, where the road from Komno joins from the left. Just a little further on from this junction, you will see a larger parking lot on the right, where you park (the parking lot is located near the post office and the Mercator store).
b) First drive to Ajdovščina, then continue along the old road towards Nova Gorica. When you reach the settlement Potoče, leave the main road and turn left in the direction of Branik. The road quickly leads to a bridge over the river Vipava, after which it gradually becomes more winding. After a short climb, there is a short descent and you reach Branik. When you reach the main road, turn left and then after a few 10 metres of further driving, turn left into a larger parking lot (the parking lot is located near the post office and the Mercator shop).
c) From Nova Gorica or its surroundings, drive to Dornberk and from there continue in the direction of Branik. Park in the centre of Branik in a large parking lot (located near the post office and the Mercator store).

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue along the main road towards Dornberk, then turn left towards Cvetrož. Soon after leaving the main road, you will see signs for Pedrova at the transformer station. A little further on, the road leads over a bridge over the river Branik, and just after the bridge we continue to the left in the direction of the hamlet of Lojevi (right Cvetrož). A few steps further on, the road splits again, and this time we continue to the right (straight ahead to the Furlan farm and the Pri mlinu agritourism farm). We walk along the asphalt road for only a few more 10 metres, and then, at a nearby residential house, we continue straight ahead towards the railway bridge. When you reach the foot of the railway bridge, follow the marked path which continues under a stone arch. Climb briefly along the bottom of a small valley, then cross a torrent and start climbing steeply on the other side. Higher up, you reach a wooded ridge, and the path immediately switches to the right side of the ridge (looking in the direction of ascent). There is a cross-climb of a few minutes, then you regain the wooded ridge.
Once on the ridge, join cart track (the route from Branik past Branik railway station), which is followed to the right, and we follow it to the first crossroads.
Continue on the left marked cart track (the right one immediately splits into two parts again), which then starts to descend gently. After a short descent, you reach the bed of the torrential Petnik stream and arrive at a metal hunting observation post. Just by the observation post, go slightly left and cross the bed of the above-mentioned intermittent stream. On the other side of the stream, we start to climb steeply up a steeper slope, and the path leads us higher up below the village of Pedrovo. There is a short climb and between the houses you reach the road leading through the village.
Once on the road, turn right (left, Church of the Holy Spirit 1 minute) and walk through the village.
At the end of the village, a "kolovozu" path joins us from the right, and we continue straight ahead, following a slightly wider path which climbs gently to moderately through the forest. The track splits a few times, and we continue on the "main" or marked track (although the markings are sometimes quite sparse). Higher up, we reach a minor road (fire road - intervention road No 14P), which we begin to descend moderately. A little further down the slope you enter a small valley, where you continue right up the initially less distinct track. The way forward continues for a short time across a meadow, and then quickly leads to the abandoned Slavčeva bajte. Bypass the byte on the left and continue along the less well-marked track, which ascends and descends several times. At the crossroads, we continue along the marked track, which after a while leads us to grassy slopes, from which a beautiful view opens up, reaching all the way to the highest peaks of the Julian Alps. A slightly steeper descent follows and the path leads us to Železna vrata, where we cross an asphalt road. Continue on the dirt road towards Trstelj, and we walk along it to the power line. Just after the power line, leave the road and continue left along the marked path, which begins to climb steeply. After a few minutes, the path flattens out and turns into a scenic and relatively steep slopes. The path quickly returns to the forest and the path from Renč joins us on the right.
Continue left in the direction of the hut, along the path which soon splits into two parts. Continue slightly to the right along a marked shortcut, then join a fainter forest road, which you follow to the nearby Stjenko's hut on Trstelj.
From the hut, continue to the right towards the summit and follow a pleasant path ascending through lane of sparse forest. Just a little higher up, you join a wide track which takes you to the top of Trstelj in a few 10 steps.

On the way: Sveti Duh (Pedrovo) (365m), Slavčeva bajta (395m), Železna vrata (445m), Stjenkova koča na Trstelju mountain hut (610m)

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