Žiri - Sveti Tomaž (Vrsnik nad Žirmi)

Access to the starting point:
a) From Železniki, Kranj or Medvode, drive to Škofja Loka, and from there continue in the direction of Gorenje vasi in the Poljanska valley and Žire. From Žiri, continue towards Logatec, then before the end of the town you will reach the Lenger Inn and a few 10 m further on to a crossroads where the main road towards Logatec turns left and the road continues straight on towards Idrija. Park in a suitable place at the crossroads. There is a large parking lot next to the Lenger Restaurant, but it is a courtesy to ask the staff if you are allowed to park in this parking lot beforehand.
b) From Horjul or Polhov Gradec, drive to Šentjošt nad Horjul, and from there continue to Smreč. When you reach the main road Podlipa - Žiri, follow it to the right, and we drive along it to Žiri. When in Žire, reach the main road Škofja Loka - Logatec, follow it to the left, and we follow it past the parish church and the Lenger Inn and Pizzeria, to the junction where the main road to Logatec turns left, and in a straight direction the road continues towards Idrija. Park in a suitable place at the junction. There is a large parking lot next to the Lenger Inn, but it is a courtesy to ask employees in advance if we are allowed to park in this parking lot.
c) From the motorway Ljubljana - Koper take the exit Vrhnika, then when you reach the old road Ljubljana - Logatec, continue in the direction of Logatec, but only for a short time, as at the next junction you will turn right in the direction of Horjul. The road continues for a short distance through Vrhnika, then through the outskirts of Stara Vrhnika, and then soon we leave the road towards Horjul and continue slightly left in the direction of Smrečje. After Smrečje the road starts to descend towards Račeva and Žire. Once in Žire, we reach the main road Škofja Loka - Logatec, follow it to the left, and we follow it past the parish church and the Lenger Inn and Pizzeria, to the crossroads where the main road to Logatec turns left, and the road to Idrija continues in a straight direction. Park in a suitable place at the junction. There is a large parking lot next to the Lenger Inn, but it is a courtesy to ask employees in advance if we are allowed to park in this parking lot. d) From the motorway Koper - Ljubljana take the exit Logatec, and when you reach the old road Logatec - Vrhnika follow it to the right (first exit from the roundabout), and follow it for a short distance, as the signs for Rovte and Žiri then direct you to the left. After Rovte, the road starts to descend towards Žire, and when you reach the above-mentioned place, the road to Idrija branches off to the left. Park in a suitable place at the junction. There is a large parking lot next to the Lenger Restaurant (the restaurant is located some 10 m further on from the crossroads towards the centre of Žiri), but it is polite to ask the staff if you are allowed to park in this parking lot beforehand.
e) From the road Idrija - Spodnja Idrija, just after the end of Idrija, turn right (if coming from Spodnja Idrija, turn left before Idrija) over the bridge over the Idrijca river towards the Eurospin shop. On the other side of the bridge you will reach the village of Mokraška vas, and we stick to the main road leading to Ledinsko Razpotje and Žire. Higher up, the road leads us through some serpentines, and then we arrive at the Ledine crossroads, where the road gradually becomes a dirt track. After the neighbouring settlement Govejk, the road starts to descend towards Žire, and after a few kilometres of descent we arrive in Žiri and a little further on to a crossroads where we reach the main road Žiri - Logatec. Park at a suitable place at the crossroads. There is a large parking lot next to the Lenger Restaurant (the restaurant is located some 10 m further from the crossroads in the direction of the centre of Žiri), but it is a courtesy to ask the employees beforehand if you are allowed to park in this parking lot.

Path description:
If you have parked at the Lenger Inn, first walk to the crossroads where the road to Idrija branches off the main road. From this junction, turn left towards Logatec and continue along the main road, where the path leads you first past a sign (a cross) and then across the Osojnica stream. Walk along the main road for a few minutes, then at the house with the address Logaška cesta 46 you will see signs for Vrsnik pri Vidicu, which direct you to the right onto a slightly narrower asphalt road, which begins to climb, initially between a few houses. Behind an old bunker nearby, the agglomeration ends and the road gradually turns left, crossing the slopes further to the left. The tarmac ends quickly and the road then leads under an old quarry, and a few minutes higher up the road you reach the Plesk farm.
After the farm, continue on the grassy cart track, which is marked, and walk along it for only about 30 m, then at a small right turn, continue left on the initially even worse cart track, which quickly turns into a footpath. Continue along a fairly steep path, which soon crosses another cart track, and in summer, even a rather overgrown path, with a view of the surrounding hills, leads us to the next crossing cart track, after which we reach a dirt road through a lane of woods. The road ascends gently and turns slightly to the left at a small level. From here, walk along the road for only a short distance, as signs then lead you to the right, on a path which quickly widens into the old wooded cart track. Beyond the well-preserved boundary stone of the old Rapallo border from 1920, we also leave cart track and continue a little further to the right, on a well-marked footpath that continues along an undistinguished ridge. Higher up, we reach a peak with an old wall and a newly built building inside (the name Vidic's home appears on maps). As we pass the wall and the house on the left, we emerge onto a road and see a signing box on the trunk of a nearby tree. Once on the road, continue in the direction of Lediny. After passing through the lane of a forest, you will see an old Italian building from the time of the Rapallo border on your right, and you can see the surrounding hills ahead, and soon also the Church of St Thomas, which is situated on the lookout between Spodnje and Gornje Vrsnik. When the road turns right a little lower down, you can go straight ahead and reach the Church of St Thomas in a few minutes along the trackless hayfield, but this approach is not desirable, especially at grass-growing times, as it would cause some damage to the farmers (a well-maintained path to the church leads from the village of Gornji Vrsnik). The road ahead leads past the watering point for animals, and then you gradually arrive at the first or last houses in the village. At the first crossroads, turn slightly left (Sivka on the right) and follow the unmarked road to the chapel, some 10 m away. At the chapel, turn left onto a macadam road, which begins to climb through increasingly scenic hay meadows. At a small crossroads, reached at the part where the deteriorating road becomes a bit more rough, continue slightly to the right and follow cart track, which in two or three minutes of further walking leads to the church of St. Thomas, from which a beautiful view of the surrounding hills opens up to us.
Description and pictures refer to the situation in 2015 (January).

On the way: Vidicov dom (764m), Gornji Vrsnik (715m)

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