Straža - Želin - Veliki vrh (Lajše)

Access to the starting point:
a) Drive to Idrija, then continue in the direction of Tolmin and Cerkno. When you reach the semaphore crossroads in Straža - Želin, where the road to Cerkno turns off to the right, the route described above begins. There are no parking spaces at the starting point.

b) From Podbrdo or Most na Soči, drive to Bača pri Modreju and then continue in the direction of Idrija. When you reach the semaphore-controlled crossroads in Straža - Želin, where the road to Cerkno turns left, the route described above begins. There are no parking spaces at the starting point.

c) Take the road to Cerkno and then continue in the direction of Tolmin and Idrija. When you reach the semaphore crossroads in Straža - Želin, where the road continues to the right towards Tolmin and to the left towards Idrija, the route described above begins. There are no parking spaces at the starting point.

Path description:
From the crossroads we focus on the road in the direction of Idrija, and along the road we walk a few 10 metres, then on the concrete rampart we see the mountain markings for Bevkov vrh, which direct us sharp left, on the road that climbs to the nearby homestead. At the homestead, continue through the courtyard, and behind the house, go right and climb up to the nearby trestle, where you go slightly left, so that you continue across the hayfield and climb up crosswise to the right. At a higher altitude, you will reach the lane of the forest, and then pass a house with no road leading to it. Above the house, the path returns to the forest and starts to climb steeply. Climb steeply through the forest for a while and then reach an asphalt road, which you follow to the left. The road soon becomes macadam, and you turn slightly right and climb up to St Paul's Church, which is situated on a viewpoint.
From the church, descend the ridge to the nearby farmhouse, which you pass on the left, and after the house, signs point you to the right and up through the hayfield. The path quickly turns into woods, passing Straža (548 m) on the left, and on the other side of the hill reaching the wider cart track, which you follow north-eastwards, continuing along the ridge, which is occasionally overlooked. After a while, when cart track splits into several branches, leave the marked path, which turns right off the ridge and continues towards Bevkov vrh, and continue straight up, following the ridge as it climbs (slightly longer path on the left). After a short steep climb, cart track is laid down and soon the above mentioned slightly longer path joins from the left.
Continue straight ahead, a little further along the left-hand side bypassing a nearby house, and a few steps further on, the path from Cerkno joins us from the left.
Continue walking along the macadam road, which leads under the route of the power line. A little further on, we arrive in a small valley, which we climb up to a small pass, where there is a crossroads.
Continue sharp left on the road leading by the Lajše sanctuary (straight ahead Kladje pass, right Bevkov vrh).
If you leave the road, you can walk to the nearby shrine with its chapel, the Stations of the Cross and the memorial, otherwise continue along the road to the nearby quarry, where the path turns left and becomes cart track. Here the path turns into the forest, and at a small crossroads go right and walk past the transmitters to the nearby summit. Želin - St Paul 0:35, St Paul - Veliki vrh 1:25.
Description and images refer to the situation in January 2020.

On the way: Sveti Pavel (Straža) (451m)

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