Dolenji Novaki (Pod Kovkom) - Škofje

Access to the starting point:
a) First, drive to Cerkno (to get here from the road Idrija - Most na Soči, or via the pass Kladje), then continue driving in the direction of the ski resort Cerkno. Continue past the Gačnik Guesthouse (the inn in Log) and the road branch to the Franja Hospital. A few 100 m further on, on the right side of the road, you will see red mountain direction signs for the Franja Hospital and Ermanovec. Park in a suitable place near the mountain direction signs.

b) From the Poljane valley, drive to Hotavlje, then follow the signs for the Cerkno ski resort. Follow the signs for the Cerkno ski resort only as far as Kopačnica, where, from the junction where the road to the ski resort and Leskovica continues to the right, continue straight ahead on the road that continues along the Podplečica stream. At the homestead Joškovec, where the next confluence is, continue right and then start climbing steeply on the partly macadam road. At the homestead Mrovlje, the road turns to the coastal side, and after some downhill you join the main road leading from Cerkno to the ski resort Cerkno. Follow the road down to the left, and when you reach the road on the left you will notice red mountain direction signs for the Franja Hospital and Ermanovec. Park in a suitable place near the mountain direction signs.

c) From the Selška valley ascend to Davča, then follow the signs for the ski resort Cerkno and later the signs for Cerkno. Once on the coastal side, at the end of Dolenji Novaki, you will see red mountain signs for Franja Hospital and Ermanovec on the left, where you can park in a suitable place.

Path description:
From the main road, descend towards the brook Cerkno, and at the fork take the road to the right, which ends in a meadow after the bridge. On the other side of the bridge, continue left towards Ermanovec and initially walk along Cerkno, but when a side stream prevents you from walking along the stream, continue right and climb along the stream. Before the path enters the forest, cart track appears, after which you climb steeply for some time. Higher up, the trail leads past some small crossroads, where we follow the few markings, but otherwise the route is quite clear, as it runs alongside a torrential stream the whole time. Higher up, cart track turns right and becomes more overgrown in parts. There are a few minutes of climbing through the forest before reaching a dirt road, which you follow to the right. The way forward takes us along the macadam road for some time, which climbs mostly gently to moderately, passing mainly through the forest and crossing the north-western slopes of Škofja. After a short descent, the road leads to the western ridge of Škofja, where it turns sharply to the left.
Here, an unmarked steep path branches off to the left, and we continue along the road, which passes onto the south-western slopes. There is a slight downhill followed by an easy climb to a marked crossroads where we join the marked path from Cerkno.
Continue left on the footpath and after a short steep climb, you will come out on an asphalt road, which you will walk along to the next marked crossroads.
At the crossroads, turn left (right Ermanovec and Lajše) and continue over a short grassy slope into the forest (follow the footpath and not the nearby cart track). Continue climbing along the edge of the forest, and the path leads you right next to the extensive grassy slope of Škofja. Higher up, the path leads us out of the forest onto a grassy ridge, where it turns right (straight ahead 1 minute bivouac) and continues to climb along an increasingly scenic ridge. A gently sloping and very scenic walk along the grassy ridge follows (nice view of Kojca, Porezen and the surrounding hills), and then the path passes into the forest and after a few minutes of further walking leads us to the summit of Škofja.

On the way: Bivak na Škofju (917m)

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