Hermsberg - Dobratsch / Dobrač

Access to the starting point:
Cross the Korensko sedlo border crossing and descend into Austria, and when you reach the main road Trbiz / Tarvisio - Bialjak / Villach, continue left towards Trbiz. Follow the main road to Ziljica / Gailitz, and at the roundabout turn onto the road to Šmohor / Hermagor. From the roundabout, follow the road to Schmohor for about 11 km, then follow the signs for Plajberk near Bialek / Bad Bleiberg to the left. Continue through the underpass and the road leads to the centre of Cajna / Nötsch im Gailtal, from where you continue to Plajberk near Bialek. We continue along the ascending road, which quickly leads to a large quarry, and we follow it from here for only about 100 metres before the signs for the village of Rute / Hermsberg point us sharp right onto a narrow and steep road. After a short climb, we reach the village, and just above it we turn right onto a minor dirt road, which we follow for a further 100 m to a small marked parking lot, where we park.

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue along the forest road, which is closed to public traffic by a road sign. After a few minutes, a marked path from the valley joins us from the right (starting point Čajna / Nötsch), but we follow the road for only a short distance, as signs for Dobratsch / Dobratsch and the Ludwig Walter-Haus direct us to the right onto a marked footpath. The path continues on a gentle to moderate ascent through the forest, crossing the nearby cart track a few times. A little higher up, we cross a torrential ravine, and a slightly steeper path leads us to a forest road, where the path from Wurzach joins from the left. Follow the road to the right, and after a few metres it leads to a small crossroads, where we take a sharp left. Just around the bend, mountain direction signs direct you to the right on the path leading to Dobrač. A little higher up, another path from the aforementioned town and Bleiberg Kreuth joins us from the left, and we continue in the route we are already familiar with.
The way ahead begins to climb steeply, and we occasionally start to get beautiful views of the Zilj valley and the Zilj Alps. Higher up, the path is laid and crosses the slopes to the right. Next, we cross a pasture fence, and a few minutes later the path leads us to a small unmarked crossroads, where an unmarked path branches off to the right to a nearby hunting lodge, and we continue slightly to the left, along the path, which begins to climb more steeply in the bends. During the ascent, the forest begins to thin out, and the rather steep path leads us to lane of dwarf pines, where it turns right and gradually lays down. The ascent continues along an increasingly scenic route (view of Mangart, Jalovec, Kanin, Viš, Montaž, Ziljska dolina, Ziljske Alpe. . . ), which mostly crosses the slopes to the right. The way forward takes us over a few ravines, which may still be under snow in early summer, but again the steeper path leads us to the side ridge of Dobratsch, where a small cross stands.
When you reach the ridge, continue to the left and continue the ascent along the initially moderately steep, but higher up very steep path, which in the upper part also crosses some very steep slopes, where there is a risk of slipping, especially in the wet. As we cross the steep slope, we see the Slovenian church on Dobratsch just a few steps away.
From the church, you can walk a few steps to the nearby summit, and from there you can walk a few minutes to the German church and the Ludwig Walter-Haus hut.

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