Osp - Socerb Castle (via Kastelec)

Access to the starting point:
Leave the Ljubljana - Koper motorway at the Črni Kal exit, then drive for a short distance towards Črni Kal, and turn left at the pillars of the Črni Kal viaduct in the direction of the village of Osp. The road then leads through the village of Gabrovica pri Črnem Kalu, and after about 1 km you will arrive in the village of Osp, where the route described above starts in the middle of the village. A suitable place to park is about 500 m in front of the village.

Path description:
From where we parked, we walk to the centre of the village, where we see the first markings at the NOB memorial.
Continue to the right (left down Tinjan and the tourist farm and bivouac at Vovek) and start climbing between houses, following the signs at the crossroads. The marked path soon branches off to the right towards the climbing centre, and we continue to the nearby parish church of St Peter, which we pass on the right.
The village ends here and the road turns into cart track, which quickly leads to a marked crossroads.
From the crossroads, continue right towards Kasteliec (straight ahead Socerb), and the path continues to climb mostly across to the right. Higher up, a fine view opens up towards Tinjan and the Osapska Wall, and then the path turns left and passes onto a plateau. At first, the views are still beautiful, reaching all the way to the Bay of Milje and the surrounding countryside, but then the trail turns to the flat world of the Lower Karst, where the settlement of Kastelec can be seen behind. The way ahead leads us through pastures, and when we reach the dirt road, we follow the signs at the crossroads.
A little further on, on the outskirts of Kastelec, we reach an asphalt road, which we follow to the left, and after a few steps we leave it and continue to the right on a marked path, which quickly leads us to the Church of the Holy Cross in Kasteliec. Go around the church on the right and then the road becomes a dirt track after the nearby children's playground. When the road forks, continue slightly right, and at the next crossroads by the cal, slightly left. The climb continues on a rather bad road, which, when laid, leads to a wider macadam road, where there is also a marked crossroads.
From the crossroads go left (Varda, Črnokalski grad, Hrastovlje, Podpeč and Praproče on the right) and after 100 metres you will reach the next crossroads.
Continue straight ahead (right Slavnik and Prešnica) along the road, which continues to fold, and at the crossroads follow it in the direction of Socerba. After a few minutes, you reach the asphalt road leading to the summit, and we take a slight right off the road, then pass Sveta jama to return to the road, and then continue along it until we reach Socerb Castle, which is situated on a lookout. Description and figures refer to the situation in 2018 (April).

On the way: Kastelec (330m), Sveta jama (375m)

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