Zvodno - Tolsti vrh above Celjska koča (via Marija)

Access to the starting point:
From the motorway Ljubljana - Maribor, take the exit Celje - centre and continue in the direction of Laško and Zidanega Most. The road takes you through the centre of Celje, and then leads you to a roundabout with a water meter in front of the Savinja River. Here, continue "straight on" over the first bridge (towards Laško and Zidani Most) and follow the road to the next traffic lights, where you turn left over the second bridge over the Savinja. Just after the bridge, turn right at the junction. After about 500 metres, you will come to an underpass under the railway line (with a large parking lot on the right and the starting point in Zagrad), drive through it and continue straight on past the fire station in Zagrad. Follow the road through the village, and higher up in Zvodno it leads to a small crossroads by the bus station, where you will see signs and signposts for Grmada to the right, Hudičev graben to the right, and the parking lot 1. 2 km to the right. Continue straight towards the new parking lot (2020) and the road gradually becomes flatter and narrower. The new parking lot - our starting point is just off the road in front of the fish farm. Here we can park and start our excursion along the paths that lead either past St Mary's, through Hudičev graben or through the Dry Stream. The starting point can also be reached from Dolenjska and Zasavje. In this case, first drive to Rimske Toplice and then through Laško to the second bridge described above, from where you continue as described.

Path description:
From the starting point, the signs for Hudičev graben direct us first to the road past the retaining wall back towards Celje, and after a few steps sharp left to cart track, which leads into the forest. Follow Cart track for about 100 metres to a crossroads just before the graben, where you leave the path into the gorge of the Hudičevski brook and continue to the left towards Pečovje or Marija. Follow the marked forest trail until the next crossroads at the edge of the forest, where you join the Celje Mountain Trail (CPP) to the right along the forest road coming from the route of Celje. Soon you will come across a new crossroads, where the Barbara's Path from the route of Štor joins from the left. Continue straight along the forest road by the farmsteads and from here on follow the signs for Barbara's Path for some time. A little higher up, a narrower forest path branches off to the left and starts to climb a little more steeply. Higher up, before the crossroads below Marija, we are also helped by a few ropes, more as a fence than as a handhold. At the crossroads, the CPP markers direct us to Srebotnik, and we continue in accordance with the signpost of the Barbarian Way to the left, slightly downhill, past the chapel with the image of Mary carved into the wall of Srebotnik, and then slightly uphill along a wide forest path, partly also logging trail. At the next crossroads, cross the forest road and continue along the ridge following the markings and signposts of the Barbara's Way. As you pass a pleasant clearing higher up, you reach a new crossroads where Barbara's path branches off to the left towards Alma's house, and we continue to the right along the forest road towards Tovsto Peak. The path is laid and soon joins the new asphalt road leading from Svetina towards Celjska cottage. The road, which is joined a few metres further on by the CPP route from Srebotnik, is only about 100 - 200 metres long. Then leave the road and, following the signs, continue towards the Tovsto summit along the short cart track through the forest and then along the forest road. Continue along the only farmhouse in this area, following the path up through the meadow and from an easterly direction to reach Tovsto peak. The viewpoint is located a few tens of metres further to the west, from where the Posavje hills are visible in a southerly and westerly direction.

On the way: Srebotnik (700m), Almin dom na Svetini (772m), Hotel Celjska koča (652m), Pečovniška koča on Grmada (620m)

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